A Deep Breath
by orchidluv
Summary: Bella finally has enough. It’s all added up for her; Edward controlling her, Alice babysitting her, Charlie grounding her, Jake abandoning her. She’s about sick of it and it’s time she stands on her own two feet. Follow in her journey as she discovers herself and even makes a few mistakes along the way. She’s only human after all!
1. Introduction

Welcome to A Deep Breath. This is rated M for Mature Content. Reader discretion advised.

Adjusted the timeline a bit. Jake phases sooner and Bella's in her senior year instead of her junior. AU Twific.

No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing of the Twilight Saga. That all belongs to the lovely Stephenie Meyer. The only thing that belongs to me is my odd imagination and grammar mistakes!

This story will have mention of pot use (refuse to call it it a drug, yo), sex and sexual references (including rape references), swearing (possibly lots), and slightly to mostly OOC's. I'm going to try to keep them all within their personalities while altering them to fit my storyline. It's not going to have much drama so any cliffhangers will be mild. No Volturi, sorry. No Victoria either. It will focus more on her being human and some human trials we all may go through at one point or another.

I had no idea where this story was going to take me when I wrote it and even now, I don't think the title goes with it, but it's been written for weeks and I am really interested in seeing what you all think. Go easy on me! It's not the usual Twidrama we are all used to reading but the niggling wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it out. The chapters will be sporadically in length but I'm going to be posting the whole thing as I edit each section until it's complete.

If this isn't your cuppa, don't read and don't bash me. Just go find something that is!

Enjoy!


	2. Point to Swan

"Love, come to bed." Edward murmured. He was lounging against the headboard of my full sized bed, on top of the purple comforter, looking like a God, as always. His perfectly tousled backsweep of penny colored hair, his golden eyes and chiseled jaw; he was perfection personified.

It's too bad he was grating on my last nerve. Everything was.

Pacing the length of my room, my worn converse scuffing on the old tongue and groove floorboards, I chewed on my thumbnail. It's not like it was even that late. Charlie was still in his recliner watching a game or the news and I had only come upstairs to my room to get _ready_ for bed. Ignoring the photos on the corkboard of Jake and me, Alice and me, Edward and me...I kept pacing. I had to calm down before I ended up ripping my room apart in my anger. I could imagine the catharsis that would swim through my veins if I threw my desk chair out the window or overturned my dresser. The loud noises would upset my father sure, but it would make me feel better.

Edward's phone beeped, alerting him of a text message and I stopped my feet, facing him. Retrieving the cell phone from the pocket of his slacks, his movements not even ruffling his dark gray polo, his eyebrows furrowed as he read. His face scrunched up before he closed his phone and looked at me with annoyance. "Bella, come to bed." He said a little more firmly and I knew Alice saw my decision to wreck my room.

"No. I'm not tired." I waved a hand at him dismissively and turned toward my dresser. Pulling out a pair of soft gray pajama pants and a white v-neck tee, I went into the bathroom to change out of my jeans, ignoring Edward's stare and heavy sigh.

Everything was getting to me. Jake abandoning me after making me promise not to abandon him, Edward being a controlling ass, Alice babysitting me constantly through her visions and tattling on my every move to my boyfriend as if he were my father. I was about to make some big changes in my life if things kept going the way they were. It was time that I grew a backbone and stood up for myself. Vampires or not, I could handle myself as a human. We did it all the time.

As I stripped my day clothes, tossing them into the small green hamper by the shower, I heard Edward's phone ping with a message again.

He'd been telling me what to do for months. Way before we got back from Phoenix with my leg in a boot. It had started out slowly at first; a recommendation or a meager suggestion, until suddenly I was simply doing what he said in order to please him. How to eat, how to dress, when to go to bed. The latest was that I couldn't speak to Jacob, my best friend, and that is just the last straw. I had been compliant for too long and I didn't even understand why. Jake had been unreachable for the last two weeks, even dodging my phone calls and every time I tried to go to the reservation to see him, Alice would call Edward and he would come racing to the truck in the middle of the road with some excuse as to why I had to turn around.

We'd become close, Jake and I, while I was in my boot casting laid up at home. My father had grounded me, not allowing Edward to come to the house -during the day, he had no idea Edward snuck in at night- so Jake hung out with me and kept me company. It had pissed me off royally when my dad grounded me like I wasn't almost an adult, but it brought me and Jake together and I _had_ disappeared without so much as a note so I couldn't be angry for long. We would lounge around, laughing, eating popcorn and other junk food, and watch B-rated movies. We'd sit comfortably, holding hands or with me lying my head on his shoulder and he'd rest his hand on my lower thigh above my knee. There was nothing really intimate about it, we were just good friends.

It was one particular night, about three weeks after I'd gotten back from Phoenix and the next day I was getting my cast off at Fork's Hospital. Dad had said I was grounded from Edward until the boot was off so Jake was taking advantage of spending as much time with me as possible. He was irritated that night and running a temperature.

"So after today, we won't do this right? You'll be too busy spending time with your boyfriend." He said bitterly, sneering the word boyfriend.

His hand tightened on my thigh with his anger and I flinched, moving out of his grasp and lifting my head from his shoulder. Twisting to face him on the other end of the couch, I cocked my head. His body was shaking slightly, thick dark brows furrowed with frustration and I rushed to put him at ease. The muscles that he'd been growing into bunched and jumped under his tight red tee.

"No. I'm still going to spend time with you." I leaned forward and gripped his large hand in mine. "You're my best friend, Jake. I'd never abandon you. Especially not over another boy."

I just wasn't that kind of girl. I was a firm believer in friends over boyfriends, I always had been.

 _Boyfriends come and go, friendship lasts forever._

Excitement lit his big honey brown eyes. "Really? You promise?" He asked eagerly and I laughed as he pulled me back to him, rubbing his hand soothingly over my thigh where he'd squeezed too hard.

Running my fingers through his long, thick black hair and pushing it over one shoulder as I cuddled up to him, I hummed. "I swear to God, Jake."

Edward walked in behind Charlie moments after that. I knew he'd heard the conversation when I saw how rigid he stood, hands clenched and eyes black. Dad plopped down on the recliner with an amiable 'hello' and Edward hovered unsurely near the entryway between the living room and the hall by the staircase.

"Figured I'd let him come in tonight since he looked like a little lost puppy dog out there. You're getting that thing off tomorrow, so I don't see the harm in it." He said nonchalantly as he reclined his chair and folded his hands behind his head. He looked mighty pleased with himself and I knew this was a setup. Figures, Charlie wouldn't bother to even ask _why_ Edward was hovering outside like a 'little lost puppy dog' in the first place.

My dad hated Edward with a passion and he'd seen how close Jake and I had gotten over the last few weeks. Even with all of our denials of it being anything more than close friends, Charlie obviously didn't believe us and it seemed, neither did Edward. Jake, not oblivious to the tension between Edward and me, let his hand rake across my thigh -an action that Edward watched raptly with a trembling body- and stood. I rolled my eyes at the possessive display as he gripped my hand and brought me to stand with him, wrapping his arms around my body, hugging me tight.

Hugging him back, I laid my cheek against his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart and sighed. Suddenly, he was making a sound I'd only ever heard come from Edward and I was ripped out of Jake's arms. The contrast of heat to chill was so abrupt that I shivered with goosebumps and pulled away from Edward, turning to look at him like he'd lost his mind.

His eyes never met mine. They were locked on Jake's and pitch black. "Get out of here, mutt." Edward spat and I gaped at his audacity. Charlie turned his face from the television to watch with rapt interest.

"Oh woah, I don't think so!" I said as I moved toward Jake again who was now trembling so much his body was a blurred outline, he was so angry. Putting my palms to his chest got his attention and he calmed when he met my eyes. "Jake, you're running a fever and _Edward_ is being rude. Call me when you get home, okay?" My words were soft and I pleaded with my eyes, letting him know I wasn't mad at him.

His expression went from calm to disgust in a second and I gasped when he pushed me away from him. A flash of guilt crossed his face when I stumbled over the rug before he covered it up and turned away. I ran to the door and watched as he slammed the door to his VW Rabbit before peeling gravel out of the driveway. Spinning on my heel, I glared at Edward and pointed my finger in his face. He'd followed me to the door.

"Love…" He started.

"Don't! You, go home. You shouldn't be here right now. And I don't want to see you until after my appointment tomorrow." I said with conviction so he would know I didn't want him in my room that night.

Sadness welled up in his eyes before he nodded his head. "I apologize. I'll see you tomorrow." With a brief kiss to my forehead, he was gone and I shut the door with a sigh of relief.

That was when I remembered my father. Stomping into the living room, I watched as he lounged in the recliner with a Vitamin-R in one hand and the remote in the other, staring at the tv as if it had all of life's answers.

"That was all your fault." I said with quiet anger. The adrenaline from the quick scene had my body shaking.

Turning his head to look at me, Charlie flashed me a large smile and I felt my lips twitch in response. Shaking my head at him, I turned around and headed for the stairs.

"You can cover your own self up tonight if you fall asleep down here." I called to him as I stomped up the stairs like a child.

Charlie only chuckled and I growled as I slammed my bedroom door, trying to hold onto my anger.

Now, as I finish getting dressed in my pajamas, I head back into my room where Edward is still in his spot on my bed, staring at his phone.

I sat down on my side and turned off the overhead light only to switch on the lamp by my bed. "If that's Alice and she's telling you my decisions play by play and you listen to her? I swear to God, Edward, I'm done." My voice was cold but I just didn't have it in me to give a damn anymore.

I didn't even bother looking back at him as I hunkered down under my covers and plopped my head roughly into my pillow. Putting my phone on charge and switching off my lamp again, I shut my eyes and tried to ignore his presence.

By the time my phone alarm went off this morning, Edward was gone and the window was shut. I checked my phone as I sat up in bed, hoping for a call or text from Jacob, but of course there was nothing. I sighed, already in a bad mood and headed downstairs to start the coffee for dad and myself. It would be much easier to have a pre-programmable coffee pot, I grumbled to myself as I went back up the stairs to get ready for school. Choosing a simple jeans and tee with a zip-up hoodie, I ran the brush through my hair and pulled it away from my face. Adding mascara to my eyelashes and brushing my teeth, I heard the beep of the coffee pot as I was putting on my converse.

"Morning, Dad." I greeted, as he walked into the kitchen for his own cup of liquid wakeup.

"Morning, kid." He grunted as he swirled the spoon in his cup after adding cream and sugar, the quiet clinking of metal on ceramic was the only noise for a few moments.

We sat in silence as we both drank our coffee and I munched on a granola bar. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Hey dad, when are you going to La Push again?" I asked. He usually went on Friday nights to watch tv with Billy and hope to get a glimpse of Sue Clearwater. Her husband passed away a year ago from a heart attack and Charlie had been harboring feelings for her for at least that long. Harry was his best friend though, so he'd never acted on them.

His other best friend, Billy, was Jake's father. He was wheelchair bound after a car accident that killed his wife when Jake was 9. Charlie and he were practically inseparable. If it weren't for his job as Police Chief of Forks, I am sure my dad would try to live in La Push. Being besties with the Chief of the Quileute tribe would have it's advantages, I assume, in gaining a home there.

Glancing up from the paper, he raised an eyebrow. "You should know the answer to that." He said as he lifted his cup to his lips again. As he set the cup down, he used his bottom lip to suck the coffee drippings from his mustache.

I giggled and handed him a napkin, which he just set aside unused. "You should trim that. Can I come?"

Eyes lighting up, he shook his head and smiled at me. "Sure, kiddo. I'm off by 4 and was just gonna get changed before going. That good for you?"

Nodding, I got up and rinsed my cup, setting it in the drain to dry. "Yeah, we don't usually have homework on Fridays. I'll be ready." I said as I grabbed up my backpack and threw it over my shoulder.

"Sounds good, Bells. Have a good day."

"You too, dad. Love you." I kissed his temple quickly before running for the door and grabbing my truck keys off the sideboard in the hall.

"Love you too, kid." He called after me just before the door slammed.

The whole way to school, I was almost vibrating with excitement. Why hadn't I thought of this before? Asking my dad to take me to La Push was the perfect excuse. Edward couldn't very well just dash into the road, forcing me to slam on the brakes, as was his normal M.O. He would be restricted to leave me alone while I spent a good portion of my evening with my dad and best friend. I am ecstatic!

All through the school day, I avoided the Cullens as often as I could by using my other -human- friends. Rosalie gave me smug little smiles each time I dodged the dynamic duo otherwise known as Alice and Edward. Any time they tried to accost me, I would loop arms with anyone near me. Mike Newton, Jessica Stanley, Angela Weber, and once even Malcolm McCoy. The latter was a new boy, a little older than me with dark chocolate skin and friendly dimples. He seemed shocked when I'd grabbed his arm and started peppering him with questions about college but it did the job and had Edward sulking away with a furrowed brow.

Unfortunately, my supposed interest in Malcolm had him asking me on a date, thinking I was no longer dating Edward. When I saw Edward sneak up behind the boy with a sneer on his face, I put on my most innocent expression and told him that would be nice sometime if I'm ever single. Edward's face carded through so many emotions before settling on anger and he walked away with slumped shoulders.

 _That'll teach you!_ I thought. I had to admit, I felt a twinge of something akin to guilt but I brushed it aside. He'd been living my life for me since we'd made our relationship official a few weeks after I'd started here. His actions had me second guessing this thing we called a relationship and I was wondering if we should just cool it for a while...or drop it altogether. While Malcolm is a good looking boy, however, I wasn't sure I would end up on a date with him while I was with Edward. That didn't sit right with me and I'd only given the boy that answer to get under Edward's skin, which didn't help with my guilt at all.

By the end of the school day, I was exhausted from trying to keep away from the vampires. I knew they were trying to tell me what to do and where to go. Alice no doubt saw my decision to go to La Push and they would tell me we already had plans and I would refute until they made me feel guilty and I would want to back out on my dad.

Too bad for them that I wasn't giving them that opportunity. I would not back out on Charlie. It was _my_ idea to go with him and remembering the way his eyes lit up when I did so had me smiling. No. There was no way I would back out now.

Walking to my clunker of a truck with Angela and Tyler on either side of me, Rosalie came up behind us just as we got to my vehicle. Tyler gaped at the stunning statuesque blonde while Angela looked down shyly and fidgeted with her glasses.

"Hey, Rose. What's up?" I asked as I unlocked my truck door.

Smirking, she looked over at my human companions before looking toward where Edward and Alice were at the silver Volvo. Keeping her eyes on them, she murmured, "Good job, Swan." in her melodious voice before sauntering away, Tyler staring at her voluptuous backside as she went.

I caught Emmett's glower at the boy just before he did and I swear I heard him gulp before he averted his eyes. "Hey Bella, can I get a ride home? My car broke down this morning." He said, shaking off his fear of the intimidatingly large vampire.

I giggled and waved my fingers at Emmett as I nodded to Tyler. "Sure, hop in." He lived just a few doors down from my house. I was sure he would've walked if it wasn't sprinkling, but then again it was always sprinkling in Forks. I didn't mind dropping him off. It actually left little opportunity for the vampires that I was avoiding to hop in my truck on my way home.

Keeping my eyes on the road and away from the rearview mirror for fear I'd see Edward tailing us, Tyler and I chatted amiably. He tried to broach what Rosalie said and why I seemed to be avoiding Edward but I thwarted that with the best thing for any high schooler. Gossip.

"Did you know Malcolm asked me out?" I asked him as I pulled in his driveway. With him living so close, I could see Charlie's cruiser in the driveway from here through the thick trees. He obviously got out early from work today, thank God.

"No way. What'd you say? How'd he take it when you turned him down?" He shot at me, amused and assuming I'd turned Malcolm down since I'd turned Mike, Eric Yorkie, _and_ Tyler down when I'd first started school here back in January.

"Oh I didn't. I told him that'd be nice, sometime." I said as casually as I could.

Tyler actually stumbled out of the truck. "You'll give that brother love but not this one?" He asked incredulously, waving his hand up and down the length of his torso.

I had to admire him. With smooth dark skin too, like Malcolm, he is tall with short hair and pale blue eyes, like ice. He was really something to look at but I hadn't been interested in anyone when I arrived. I had been introverted and out of my element. I actually regretted not giving Tyler a chance.

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I pointed out, "If I had dated you, Tyler, you would've lost your chance with Lauren."

Tyler scoffed. They'd broken up last week. "Trust me, I would much rather have dated you." Winking at me, he continued with a forefinger directed at my face. "When you dump Malcolm, I better be next in line. Don't you dare give Mike Newton a chance, you hear me, girl? You know what they say. Once you go black…"

I cut his statement off with a barking laugh and threw the truck in reverse. "Goodbye Tyler!" I sang as I backed out. He laughed as well and watched me make the short trek home. When I jumped out of my truck, he was still standing in his driveway and he waved at me. I waved back with a wide smile and went into the house to greet my father.

"Good, you're home. Do you always get home this late?" Charlie asked the moment I'd set my backpack down behind the couch on the floor. He stood from the recliner and stretched his arms, causing his white tee to ride up and expose the thick dark hairs on his stomach.

Glancing at the clock on the mantle below the flatscreen, I rolled my eyes. "It's barely 2:45, dad. Weren't you getting out at 4, anyway?" I asked as I headed toward the kitchen, Charlie on my heels like a dog.

"I said _by_ 4\. What are you doing now?" He bugged me as I grabbed a bottled water from the fridge.

"Jeez, are you in a rush or something?" I suspected he got wind that Sue would be at Billy's for dinner tonight. She often made him meals since she was lonely after Harry's passing and Billy had a hard time maneuvering his wheelchair through his small kitchen.

Trying to look innocent, he widened his eyes and looked out the kitchen window. "Nope, nope. Just wondered what it was you did every day after school."

Chuckling to myself, I meandered over to the kitchen table and sat down, daintily putting down my water and touching the small bits of condensation that gathered on the bottom of it. "Just this. Unless I have homework, of course. Usually I'll get that done and then start supper for us. Sometimes I'll have a shower or start laundry. Other times I'll just watch television or call a friend." I said slowly as I stared at my fingers that were still playing in the falling drops of water on my bottle.

"Okay, yep. You got me. Let's go." He said in a rush as he turned on his heel and headed out of the kitchen.

I followed him, laughing. "I knew it."

As we locked up the house and got into my truck, I saw Edward hovering at the edges of the treeline. He was hidden enough that on first glance, he wouldn't be noticeable but I'd anticipated his move and smirked to myself as I keyed the ignition. Charlie kept up a constant stream of antsy chatter and I knew I was correct that Sue would be there. He mentioned she was stopping by and cut himself off quickly but I'd caught the longing in his voice.

"Dad, just ask her out." I pushed softly.

Grunting, instead of using his words, he nodded his head then shrugged. I know he's just nervous but he needs to get back on base if he's ever going to win the game.

Just before I passed the "La Push, Washington" sign, I caught a glimpse of Alice on the side of the road. My eyes bulged out and I glanced at Charlie but he was looking at his tangled fingers. As I drove passed the littlest vampire, I caught her glare and quickly averted my eyes.

Point to Swan.


	3. Sexy Stranger Man

My truck roared to an idling stop as I parked and Charlie bounded out of it, practically jogging up the ramp before he knocked on the door. I rolled my eyes at his antics and looked around. Sue's car wasn't in the driveway, neither was Billy's handicap truck. Only my big red monstrosity took up residence for right now and I pocketed the keys as I hopped out. Grimacing as my foot landed in a muddy puddle, I shook the access off as I started walking toward the little red sided house. Two small windows on either side of the black wooden door with planter pots underneath them, it looked shabby and in need of paint. The plants were coming to life with the change in weather as we were nearing spring and if they were tended to properly, they would bloom lovely colors.

The door to the plate-metal garage wiggled and I wasn't sure if it was the wind or if someone was inside it. I was tempted to go check it out but decided against it, thinking maybe a raccoon or something was trying to get out. I didn't need rabies, that's for sure. When I finally let myself in the house, wiping my muddy shoes on the old straw welcome mat and pushing them off with my toes, I padded across the yellowed linoleum flooring into the kitchen. Billy's eyes widened slightly when he caught sight of me but he hid his first expression behind a blinding smile. His eyes were glassy and I knew he'd been hitting the pipe before we'd gotten here.

"Hey Billy. How are you?" I greeted him as I leaned down to give him a hug. His arms wrapped around me and I inhaled the scent of his neck. He smelled like skunk and berries. In a low whisper, I added, "Can I get some?"

Choking on a chuckle, Billy pulled away and looked toward my dad, who was bent over inside the fridge, looking for a Rainer. When the elder Quileute met my eyes again, he nodded and jerked his head toward the hallway. I assumed his stash was in his bedroom so I excused myself to the bathroom and smiled my thanks. As I walked passed the small living room, I noticed that Jake wasn't in his normal spot on the old plaid couch. I could hear Billy and Charlie settle in, turning on the television and gabbing away about whatever those two old women liked to gossip about. Jake's bedroom door was shut. The faded white was covered up with the typical boy memorabilia of 'Keep Out' and 'Do Not Disturb' so I did what the signs said and turned left down the hallway.

While I didn't regularly smoke marijuana, I wasn't that naive. I'd hit a bowl or two in my time while hanging out with Jake, Quil, and Embry while I was laid up in my plastic boot. I'd also experimented a bit with my mother when she'd gone on her psychedelic hippie phase. Filling the house with incense and Pink Floyd, Renee loved to get completely blazed and eat honey buns in front of the television. I had joined her a couple of times but with a Chief of Police father, even hundreds of miles away, I was young enough to believe he could smell it on me from Washington to Phoenix.

Now, I just didn't give a damn.

Shutting the bathroom door on the way after slapping the lightswitch inside in case my father decided to check out what I was doing, I entered Billy's bedroom and shut the door behind me. His stash box was open and sitting on his bedside table, filled with mini mason jars full of pre-ground pot. Smiling widely, I checked around for papers or blunt wraps. His queen sized bed was unmade, showing dirty blue sheets and a crocheted blanket bunched at the foot of the bed. He had a heavy duty trapeze bar to help him in and out of bed that was drilled into the metal frame. There were dirty socks and boxers on the floor, along with old magazines and wadded up pieces of paper.

Shaking my head at the mess of a bachelor man living with his only son, I opened up the top drawer on his bedside table. Voila! A few dozen packs of papers lay inside just waiting for me to get my hands on them. I grabbed three papers and the roller, proceeding to sit on the edge of Billy's bed before rolling myself 3 small joints. Taking my little aluminum RFID wallet case from my front pocket, I stuck the joints inside for safe keeping and pocketed the wallet once more. Cleaning up whatever mess I made, I closed the bedside drawer and headed out to open the bathroom door and turn off the light.

"Jesus, Bells. Did you have to shit or something?" Charlie asked with a smile and I felt the blush heat my face to the roots of my hair. He took that as his answer and said, "I hope you sprayed, kid. I gotta use the jon." Slapping his knees as he stood, he patted my shoulder as he passed me.

I sighed as I took his spot and looked at Billy. "3 J's. What do I owe you?" I asked.

Shaking his head, causing his long, loose black hair to shimmy over his shoulders, he crinkled a smile at me. "Nothing, Bella. You know you're always welcome to my…" He paused and lowered his voice after making sure my dad wasn't in the room yet. " _stash_."

"Thanks, Billy." I smiled. The boys and I had come across his stash one evening and though we'd been caught and scared for our lives, Billy had just laughed and toked up with us. He was one of those laid back parents that didn't believe weed was a drug, it was a plant, and it didn't fuck you up like alcohol did. He'd said 'I'd rather you veg out in front of the tv than kill someone on the road after drinking the 'shine'.'

When Charlie came demanding his seat back, I went into the kitchen and fetched the men a fresh can of beer. "I'm gonna go for a walk. I'll be back in time for supper." I said as I took the empty beer cans from the coffee table.

"See ya, honey. Don't get lost." My dad called to me.

"Sure, sure." I tossed at him, using Jake's signature phrase as I headed out the door.

Standing on the ramp, trying to decide if I should walk down to First Beach or just go into the woods to light up, Sue pulled up and honked once. The door opened behind me and Charlie ran passed to help her carry the dishes she'd brought with her. He had a wide smile on his face which she matched when she saw his enthusiasm. I laughed under my breath as I watched them. Sue tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear shyly as she looked at my father from under her long lashes. Her brown skin darkened with a blush when he leaned in and kissed her cheek. It would have been a friendly peck had he not paused and lingered for a little too long.

Averting my eyes and hoping my dad took my advice, I decided on First Beach. The clouds covered the sun but there was no threat of rain today so I trudged, avoiding the puddles as best as I could. There was no shortage of puddles in the Olympic Peninsula, even when it didn't rain for a couple of days. Pulling my phone from my hoodie pocket, I turned on Spotify and listened to Halestorm on my walk, humming or bobbing my head to the words. The short mile walk took me no time at all and I found myself at a secluded edge of the beach that lined the forest.

No one was really out here this evening, for which I was thankful. The wind would carry the skunk smell far and I didn't want to be pinpointed by a bunch of little kids and their nosey mamas. Shuffling along the treeline, I wondered why Jake hadn't come out to see me when I got to his house. It was obvious he was still avoiding me but I was holding out hope that once dinner was served, he would be at the table with the rest of us.

Finding a particularly comfy spot on an old hollowed out driftwood log, I sat down with the puckerberry bushes at my back and looked out to the blue-gray of the ocean. The whitecaps were few and the breeze was soft, sea birds flew overhead, cawing and squawking as they looked for food in the waves and along the pebbled shore. La Push was a beautiful reservation, even in the most dull, wet part of the country. The pebbles on the beach could be rare finds in colors of blues, greens, and reds. The sun -on those rare occasions that it came out to stay- would light the sky at the edge of the world with reds and oranges, sometimes purples. I had a couple of pictures of the sunset hanging on my corkboard in my bedroom.

As I pulled out my wallet and fingered a joint, rolling it before putting it between my lips, Lzzy Hale was rudely interrupted by the guitar string sound of my text tone. Deciding that my phone can wait a second, I flicked my Bic and lit up, inhaling deeply and holding my breath as I checked the message.

 _It's time for you to get home now_ \- Edward texted.

Exhaling slowly, I locked my phone and stuck it in my pocket without replying. _Get Off_ changed to her cover of _Still of the Night_ and I started singing under my breath, my brows furrowing with my lip syncing passion. Elbows on my knees, I continued taking hits of the joint until it was nothing but a tiny roach. Normally, I would pocket it but I don't want my dad to find it so I stub it out in the sand and bury it with the toe of my shoe.

"That's a waste." A deep timber sounds from behind me, which startles me because I have my back to the woods.

Fortunately, for my high, I don't actually jump. Turning my head, I greet the male with heavy eyelids and a lazy smile. "Didn't want to get caught. Roaches stink." I drawled. When what I was looking at finally registered in my very slow brain, I lifted my eyes from dark skinned, deeply toned arms to his face which was smirking down at me.

His straight jaw, sharp nose that's barely downturned at the tip, heavy brows over the most intense grey-blue eyes I've ever seen. They match the waves of the ocean and hold eons of secrets. I can see the flickers of emotions that pass through those beautiful orbs and find myself wondering what has him feeling so expressive. His face says he's relaxed but his eyes, they tell me that he's feeling so much in this moment.

Eyes that I could get lost in forever and are staring into mine.

His muscular arms are crossed over his chest which is shamefully covered by a loose black button up shirt. His hair is buzzed short all around his head except on the top where the dark, silky looking tresses fall onto his forehead. His jeans, encasing long legs, are tight on his muscular thighs and have dirt and debris stains on them but it doesn't make him look dirty.

A single braided rawhide bracelet adorns his thick wrist and his arms are covered in a thin layer of dark hair. I imagine myself running my fingers over his forearms and avert my eyes quickly when my fingers actually twitch.

 _Idgit_. I curse myself.

"Can I sit and unbury that?" He asks as he sits before I answer and uses his finger to dig out the roach I buried moments before.

Shrugging and giving a noncommittal noise, I unlock my phone to close the music app. The text from Edward is staring me in the face and I growl at it, trying to decide what to do. Sexy, stranger man chuckles at me and my stomach clenches at the sound. Pulling a pair of tweezers out of thin air, he clasps the roach between the ends and lights it when he holds it to his full, dark lips. I watch, enraptured, as his lips tighten around the end of the finished joint, inhaling what little weed is left in it. He hums as he holds the inhale and glances at me from the corner of his eye.

I'm too high to give a fuck that he's caught me so I just smile at him. A little choke escapes him -because yeah, that's good weed- and he smiles back as he exhales. He finishes the roach quickly and puts the tiny piece of used paper in his pocket.

"Got anymore?" He asks, as if he already knows that I do.

Eyeing him, I decide why the hell not? Popping the wallet case open, I pull out my second joint and light it up, taking a deep inhale before passing it to sexy, stranger man. Still holding my breath, distorting my voice, I make conversation. "I assume you're not a cop since you're smoking with me. You got a name?"

He waits until he exhales before he answers and I find my eyes lingering on his adam's apple when he swallows. I suddenly wish I'd brought a drink. "Yeah, I got one. How 'bout you?" He asks, his voice sounding more mellow already and he leans back on the log, sideways, facing me.

Turning to straddle the log myself, I face this beautiful man and let my eyes wander over him again. He really is magnificent and I'm not even a little bit ashamed when I realize that I find him more attractive than Edward. Even sitting, he's a head taller than me, probably putting him over 6 feet standing. I'm guessing he's a year or 4 older than I am but it's hard to tell. His eyes look young but his physique and his height tell me he's in his mid-twenties. His right leg is crooked under his left so he can face me and he's leaning back on his palms, giving me a great view of the way that button up shirt pulls taut against his abs.

Unconsciously I lick my lips, noticing how dry my mouth is and I don't believe it's from cottonmouth. To give myself something to do, I take another hit of the joint and unlock my phone by swiping my thumb across the screen. The guitar strum plays again as another text message comes through. Shoving the text pop-up aside, I gasp when I see the time.

"Shit. Charlie's gonna be pissed." I stood up, feeling light headed and sit back down, giggling. "Woah, head rush."

Sexy, stranger man chuckles more than is called for and I know the really good weed is affecting him too. He stands, pulling me up with him and wraps his arm around my waist, holding me close. My breath catches and I find myself looking up...way up. Yep. He's tall.

"You're tall." I sigh, dreamily.

"And you're cuter than I ever imagined you'd be, Swan." He said gruffly with a fond smile.

Scrunching my face, I looked down at his chest before poking him in his sternum. "No fair." I started as we walked together toward Billy's house. I looked back real quick to make sure I had my wallet, phone, and lighter. Yep.

"What's no fair?" He asks me with an amused smile, watching my hair fly around in the wind that's picking up as I look for all of my belongings.

I trip and fall deeper into his embrace, causing his forearms to bunch under my hands and I grip him a little harder, relishing in the feel of his warm muscles. "Hmm?" My fingers brush through his arm hairs and I sigh again.

"You said, 'no fair'." His voice sounds deeper, huskier somehow and when I look up to his face, I see his grey-blue eyes are darker than they were before.

"Wow." I breathed as I stared into his eyes.

We stopped walking and he turned me in his arms to hold me against him. My fingers continued caressing his forearms of their own volition and I'm extremely aware in my utterly high state, that everywhere our bodies are touching, I'm tingling.

"What?" He asks softly, his head tilted down toward mine.

"What, what?" I whisper. I can't look away from his eyes. They darken as he watches my lips move and I lick them, not so unconsciously this time. I shouldn't want him to kiss me. I have a boyfriend, don't I?

Granted, I was probably breaking up with him tonight anyway.

That thought stops me short. _I was_?

When did I make that decision?

My phone starts ringing. Halestorm's _Heavy_ calls out to me, demanding I like it louder than the boom of a big bass drum. Instead of answering it, I let the music flow over me and push up on the balls of my feet, meeting the lips of this sexy, stranger man who has made me feel more in mere minutes than Edward has made me feel in months.

My mouth is dry, my palms are sweaty and my heart is pounding in my chest but I know this is what I want. I'm tired of the demanding, controlling ways of my now ex-boyfriend. I'm tired of his sister's snotty babysitting and fake friendship. I'm even tired of being blown off by Jacob -my supposed best friend.

Our lips are only connected for a moment but in that moment, I feel everything. His taste bursts on my lips and I moan quietly. The electric pulse that shoots through my body down to my toes and fingers shocks me and I gasp, giving him the in he needs to slip his hot tongue between my lips. I've never been kissed like this before. Large hands grip my waist firmly, pulling me into his hard body and I can feel his reaction to me. He pulls away first, just a hair, before closing the space again to peck my swollen lips.

"Wow." I breathe.

Chuckling, sexy, stranger man says, "You said that once already and I still don't know why." The deep bass of his voice slides over my raw nerves like hot silk and I hum happily.

My addled brain finally reminds me that I need to get back to Billy's. I'm probably missing dinner and my dad, though he won't be mad or missing me because of Sue and Billy, will be wondering where I'm at.

He wraps his arm around my shoulders and guides me back in the direction I came from and I wonder silently how he knew where I was supposed to be going. He called me Swan, so he must know who I am. Which, I guess, makes sense that he would know where I am going considering everyone in La Push knows the Chief of Forks and the Chief of La Push are best friends. I roll my eyes at my inner monologue and focus on not stepping in puddles or tripping over my own two feet.

The silent stranger chuckles at me again when I try to skip over a puddle but his heavy arm bogs me down and both feet end up soaking wet. I glower at my feet. Betrayers.

"Here we are." He says as we come to a stop at the treeline at the end of the trail I took to get to First Beach.

I quickly pat down my pockets, feeling for my phone and wallet once again before nodding to myself. "Are my eyes red?" I turn to the handsome man and look up at him. I feel incredibly buzzed but I don't want to look it.

Nodding, the man takes a small bottle of Visine out of his jeans pocket and hands it to me. I stifle a squeal of joy and quickly drop the liquid into my eyes, blinking rapidly and making a face as some dribbles onto my cheeks. He wipes the trails away with a smile and a warm thumb and I lean into his caress with what is threatening to be a purr. At least, I feel like I could purr.

"Thank you." I whisper.

"You're welcome." He says just as quietly as he stares into my eyes. "You be safe, okay? Keep your windows and doors locked." He murmurs. "Goodbye, Swan."

I blinked and he was halfway down the path. I inhaled sharply as a pain I'd never felt before stabbed me in the chest. Rubbing my palm over my heart, I stare at the place he disappeared for a long time before Charlie's booming laugh wafts from the small house across the road and my face turns toward the sound.


	4. A Decision

Jake wasn't at dinner tonight and Charlie didn't seem to notice that I was high, even though I ate half my weight in pasta and beef. It wasn't until I was curled up in my bed in my pajamas, holding my phone and staring at the multiple text messages that Edward and Alice had sent me, I realized I never got his name. The pain I'd felt in my chest when he left had dissipated to a dull ache for the rest of the evening until finally it stopped.

It had been a strange request from him...To lock my windows and doors but I did as he asked. I didn't want Edward to come to my room anyway, not that locks would hinder his access but he would respect my decision.

Looking down at my phone, I quirked an eyebrow. Well, he would respect _that_ decision. The other ones, maybe not so much. It was obvious he knew I was going to break up with him by the way he was begging me to get ahold of him. I didn't want to deal with it tonight though. I'd shared a magnificent kiss with a sexy, stranger man with deep, expressive eyes. I'd had an epiphany of sorts when I decided that I wasn't going to take Edward's and Alice's shit anymore. I'm still unsure whether it was the weed that calmed me enough to let me make the choice or if the beautiful man I'd met on the beach tonight gave me the courage.

I didn't want to peg all my hopes and dreams on a man whom I didn't even know. So we shared a kiss on a deserted beach? That didn't mean that I was dumping Edward for him. I'd made the decision unconsciously beforehand, apparently, and only had the courage to admit it to myself seconds before we kissed. If anything, the admittance in my own head was what gave me the courage to act on my feelings. Well, that and those deep grey-blue eyes of his. The way he looked at me was as if I hung the moon. He didn't even know me and yet he looked at me like he could see my _soul_.

Clutching my pillow to my chest, I sighed happily as I drifted off to images of the sexy, stranger man. The feel of his lips on mine, the way his hands gripped my waist. I could still smell him on me, having not changed my shirt for bed. He smells like wet leaves and cumin. His skin was soft under my fingertips yet his hands were rough on my waist. A working man.


	5. Sausalito

Dreams of a wolf plagued my sleep all night long and I woke up with sweat on the back of my neck, my heart pounding. He followed me, whining every time I got closer to Edward and Alice. The vampires stood on one side of a clearing, a thick blurry white line split down the middle of the circular area, with their arms outstretched. Instead of looking inviting, their hands were shaped like claws and they both had angry sneers on their faces. Their normally immaculate designer clothes were filthy; covered in blood and dirt, torn and ragged. Usually styled hair was matted and tangled. They looked hideous.

And yet, Dream Me stepped toward them anyway. A wolf appeared out of nowhere from behind me, growling and barking, the sound echoing distantly though he was standing above me. Saliva dripped from his muzzle while he narrowed his dark eyes on the beings across the field. He was absolutely huge, growing in size the closer he got to me until he stood over me. Standing at 5 foot 3 inches, I'm short but not a shrimp and my head brushed against the throat of this wolf as it towered over me. He seemed to be protecting me and yet my body was pulling me toward Edward.

My feet moved forward of their own volition, refusing to be stayed even as the wolf whimpered and used his paw to nudge me back into his chest. A paw that was the size of a dinner plate, clutched to my breasts, pulling me into him. I gasped and held onto the warm paw of the wolf as he held me in place, my eyes locked on the demon doubles of Edward and Alice.

Shaking myself from the remnants of sleep, effectively brushing off the strange dream, I hopped out of bed and wearily made my way down the stairs for the same routine as always. It was Saturday, so I wouldn't have to go to school, but I did need the coffee. Forgoing a shower for the morning, deciding to take a bath tonight so I could shave my legs, I dressed in my typical jeans and hoodie combo. I even kept on the shirt from yesterday under my hoodie because even if I was fooling myself, I could smell the sexy, stranger man and I didn't want to wash him away yet.

If I'd have had plans then I would have put more effort into my attire but I only planned on hanging around the house with Charlie while he nursed his hangover and I cleaned. My phone sounded, alerting me to a text message and I remembered that I never got ahold of Edward or Alice. Sighing, knowing I'd need coffee for this, I filled my mug and headed back up to my room.

Swiping my phone open, I requested their presence at my house after lunch. Charlie would be home, so I wouldn't have to worry about them pushing their influence on me too much. Quickly dropping Jake another text too, I gave him a watered down play by play of my day like I'd been doing for the last 2 weeks. He knew all about how Edward was controlling me, how Alice babysat me, how his abandonment was slowly depleting my spirit. I had to be careful about telling him certain things. I couldn't very well tell a human about my vampire boyfriend and best friend, lest he think I was completely insane. I dismissed the idea of telling Jake about the stranger on the beach. If he were talking to me, he would scold me for being so careless and unsafe. I know he would just be looking out for me but still. I'm not so sure he would understand how I feel about this guy after just meeting him.

It was like he was apart of me now.

 _So today's the big day, bud. I'm breaking up with Edward. I'm being a chickenshit and doing it while Charlie's here. Rather not deal with him alone. He and Alice would guilt me into staying with him for sure. Ugh! Wish you were still talking to me. I'm really nervous about how this will go. You know how he's been lately. I have a feeling he's not going to let this go lightly. xoxo Bells_

I sent the text off and shoved my earbuds in, turning up Spotify full blast. I didn't bother listening to one station because I had such a spastic taste in music. Michael Buble, In This Moment, Halestorm, and Otep were among the many groups I had in my library. Starting upstairs and working my way down, I washed walls, the bathroom, both bedrooms -including the bedding-, the stairwell and stairs, and the entire downstairs. Everything was sparkling and smelling like Lysol by the time I was done. I felt grimy and gross but the house looked great.

Realizing I'd sucked down an entire pot of coffee while I worked, I switched over to water and saluted my dad, who was folding laundry in the living room. He hated doing chores but he hated that I did most of them by myself even more, so to make himself feel better, he opted to fold the laundry. It was nice of him and I had tried telling him I didn't mind, but he insisted.

A knock at the door interrupted me and I skipped down the stairs, skidding on the last step but catching myself on the railing at the last moment and saving everyone from a disaster. Laughing at myself, I swung the door open and let out a shriek of happiness.

"Jake!" I threw myself into his arms and he caught me, twirling me around and around before I pounded on his overly muscular shoulders to let me down.

"You stink, loca!" He exclaimed as he backed away. I smiled and twirled happily.

"Been cleaning all morning. Come in, come in! Want something to eat?" I asked, too excited to bother him with the whys of his disappearance.

"You know it." He patted his toned stomach over his red shirt as he followed me into the kitchen. "Hey Charlie." He tossed over his shoulder.

I caught Charlie's gaping expression and shared his sentiment. Jake had grown. It was sad to see that his hair was buzzed short too. I handed him a bottle of water and started working on sandwiches, eyeing Jake the entire time. He'd grown at least another foot in just three weeks, bulked up at least 70 pounds too. He was as large as my sexy mystery man.

"The fuck are they feeding you, anyway?" I asked, my eyes widening comically as I realized my dad had followed us into the room.

Barking a laugh, Charlie slapped Jake on the back. "I was just going to ask the same thing, Bells."

I relaxed, thankful that he wasn't going to call me out on my swearing. Finished with the food, I set the plate in front of Jake and took half a sandwich for myself. "Grow 'em big out there, Charlie. You know that." He grinned widely before wolfing down the food, clearing the plate before I'd finished with my half. Throwing the empty water bottle away, he asked if he could have another and I nodded.

"So what time are Thing 1 and Thing 2 showing up?" He asked as he settled in across from me and Charlie left the room.

Looking at the time, I shrugged. "Anytime, I guess." I never got a return text, so I wasn't sure what was going on. Maybe Alice saw Jake's decision to show up and told Edward and now I wasn't going to get my chance. My inner monologue was disrupted by a knock at the door, once again.

Jake tensed and his nostrils flared, he clenched his fists on the table. I wondered at his reaction as I stood to answer the door, not realizing that Jake followed me.

"What are you doing here, mutt?" Alice sniffed as she pushed her way passed me. I turned to face her with a frown but Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and attempted to kiss my temple without looking my way.

Wriggling away from him, I stood next to Jake and crossed my arms. He didn't even smell good to me anymore. "Jake is always welcome." I said curtly.

"Yeah, unlike someone else." Charlie muttered from the living room. He'd put away the laundry and was now settled in for the afternoon games.

Edward narrowed his eyes at Jake. He still hadn't even looked at me. "Come in." I said, much less excited than when I greeted Jake.

We all walked into the kitchen, Jake hovering behind me as Edward took a seat across from me. He attempted to take my hands in his but I put them in my lap. He frowned at me. "Bella, what's wrong, love? Why won't you let me touch you? Why is Jacob here?"

Inhaling deeply, not unaware of Alice who sat pertly beside her 'brother', I figured I'd better get this over with. "Jake is here because he's my friend and he can be here whenever he wants. I won't let you touch me because I'm breaking up with you."

Alice gasped as if this was news to her -fake drama for the human behind me- and Edward fixed his face into a mask of heartbroken horror. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from making any rash facial expressions. I really wanted to grin at Alice's antics or roll my eyes at Edward's theatrics. They were so good at the human charade, it was unbelievable. Apparently Jake thought so too.

He rolled his eyes. "Enough with the overkill. She's dumping you, move on."

I turned in my seat to pierce him with a look. "Shush, you." I chided gently. "I got this."

"Sure, sure." He said easily with a wide grin, placing a hand on the back of my chair.

"Is this why?" Edward said, his voice choked with sadness, face pinched. "Are you with him now?" His hand gestured to the seemingly intimate way Jacob was towering over me, his hand on my chair, knuckles of his hand pressed into my shoulder blade.

"No, Edward. This has nothing to do with Jake. It's…" I trailed off as I met his sad, golden eyes. He always had a way of pulling me in, capturing my interest and holding tightly to it. I vaguely see Alice's lip curl up in a triumphant smile as Edward gazes into my eyes with a sadness I cannot begin to comprehend. The knot that had been forming in my stomach from breaking up with him started untangling and though my breath was coming faster, I felt like I could breathe easier. I feel my lips pull up into a serene smile. He is _good_ for me. He'll keep me safe. I never have to worry about anything because he will help me live my life in a way that he knows will keep me safe.

Edward's gaze is torn from mine when Jacob leaps over me and the table with a feral growl. A scream erupts from my lips before I can slap my hands over my mouth and Jake wraps his large brown hands around the vampire's neck before he slams him into the wall behind his overturned chair. The house phone falls off the hook, clattering to the floor as Alice hops up and backs away, ready to dart out the back door with eyes that are wide with horror and black as night; a hiss leaving her tight lips.

The moment Edward is on the floor with Jake over top of him, holding him down, my head clears and I am disgusted with myself. What the hell just happened to me? Why would I think that Edward walked on water seconds after I broke up with him? It made no sense to me at all.

"What the fuck are you doing to her, bloodsucker?" Jake screams as he thrashes Edward's head into the linoleum flooring.

Charlie rushes into the room, hearing my scream and when he sees Jake beating the piss out of my now ex-boyfriend, he grins and ambles away. "Don't leave blood all over my floor!" He chuckles and I hear his murmur. "Boys will be boys!" Though, to me he sounds a bit too jovial and I know that he knows this is not just some boys tussling.

"Jake! You're going to get hurt. What are you doing?" I cried out as I rushed around the table. With how they had been acting, I half expected Alice to haul me out of the way but instead, when Jake's body starts trembling and the growls are falling from his mouth louder, she slips out the door quickly without a word.

Through clenched teeth, Jake grinds out, "He's not going to hurt me because I'm going to kill him." His hands are tight around Edward's neck and I can see the cracks forming along his jaw.

"Jake," I whisper. "Please."

Looking at me incredulously as he continues holding Edward in his grip, he says, "You want me to let him put you in his thrall? You can't be serious."

Quickly glancing down at Edward before Jake growls out, "Don't you look at him, Bells." I dart my gaze back to his. His eyes, I notice, have a yellow ring around them and the way his body is quivering has my brain transporting to a time before I knew what Edward and his family really were.

 _"Did you know that the Quileutes are supposedly descended from wolves?"_

 _"Wolves? Like, real wolves?"_

 _"That's the legend of our tribe."_

"Fuck!" I stare at Jake like he's grown another head. And who knows, maybe he will. Raking my hand through my hair, my torso twists around as I look for Charlie, hoping he doesn't come back in here. "You gotta get out of here." I urge, frantically. "Go! Edward, I'm sorry but…" I stop and think a moment. "No, I'm not sorry." I snorted, disgusted with him for tricking me into everything. "Get out of my life and stay out." I sneered.

A pained noise leaves his mouth as Jake lets him go and they both stand. Edward stares at me longingly before he's gone, leaving a rush of cool air in his wake. I'm in Jake's arms in a split second, my legs wrapping around his waist as I breathe him in. My chest aches, the familiar stab from the beach when my sexy, stranger man walked away, but it's gone by the time I sob.

"Jake, Jake!" I whisper as I gulp in his refreshing musky scent.

He's stalk still as his arms grip me to him tightly. "You're not afraid of me?" He asks quietly, timidly.

Without lifting my head from the crook of his neck, I whisper and shake my head. "Never. Never, Jake."

Charlie saunters back into the kitchen, I can hear his footsteps behind me but I don't move from my koala position. He chuckles to himself. "I knew it." Is all he says as the fridge door closes and he goes back to the living room.

My body moves limply in Jake's arms as he bends down to right the chair Edward had been sitting in before he opens the back door and walks out onto the porch. When he's seated on the top step, I pull my head away and look him in the eye. As I speak to him, I move off of him and sit beside him, curling my arms around his large bicep and leaning my temple against his shoulder. "I can't believe you're a wolf." I know I'm supposed to be pissed off at him right now but he's my best friend and now that I know why he was avoiding me, I can't find it in me to be angry with him any longer.

I wish I had my wallet on me right now. I could use a pick-me-up. As if he was the mind reader now -cue full body shudder- Jake pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his lower cargo pocket. The faded Marlboro pack tells me this wasn't his and when he opens it, I can smell the pungent odor I am craving.

"Chief it up, Bells." He chuckles as my slim fingers make grabby hands for the joint he pulls from the cigarette pack. Lighting it for me, I lean back on one palm and hold my breath with my eyes closed, humming as the high immediately flows through my veins. The weightless, happy feeling lifts my mood and I pass it to Jake with a smile as I exhale, coughing roughly once. I stick my tongue out and make a face then start looking for a drink.

"Ugh." I moan, giving up.

"Jesus, you're a lightweight." He says with a smile as he takes his much bigger hit.

Looking affronted, I place a hand on my chest. "Excuse me, sir. I am not! Me and my bros blazed it up all the time." Talking about him, Quil, and Embry. "Just because it hits me hard, quick does not make me a lightweight."

My overdramatic caricature has him laughing his ass off and I hiss at him to shut up before Charlie decides to check on us. My eyes are already heavy as I look behind me to the back door, making sure Jake pulled it shut. I can only hope that he thinks we're up to some private discussion time now that I obviously threw Edward out.

Tapping his ear, Jake shakes his head as he lets me have my turn with the burn. "I'd hear him, don't worry."

I roll my eyes at him and choke on the inhale. "Dude." I grind out, keeping the smoke in my lungs. "He's gonna smell this all over me." Blowing out the excess, I wave my hand around frantically, trying to dissipate the skunky stench that's clouded on the back porch. "What the hell." I gripe.

"What now?"

"Where's the damn wind and rain in Forks when you need it?" I ask, continuing to fan the thick air with a glare.

Giggling at me, Jake wraps his arm around my waist and hauls me up easily. "I was right, you are a lightweight." He says happily as he picks me up by my waist and lugs me out to the treeline like a sack of potatoes.

I'm giggling like a loon which makes him giggle harder and by the time we're in the cover of the trees, his hold on me is tenuous at best. "Lemme go!" I squeal, fearing he's going to drop me. He's so tall that I bet I'd break my damn neck from this angle.

He dips down quickly, feigning dropping me and I squeal louder, before laughing then sets me on my feet. I brush the hair from my face and snatch the joint from between his fingers. "Aha! Mine, bitch." Sucking in a deep breath, I plop down onto a thick patch of ferns and cross my legs. Pointing in front of me, I said, "Sit."

Jake sits and I giggle. Lifting a questioning eyebrow, I giggle harder. "Roll over, BooBoo!"

Jake shoves me and I hold my arm up in the air as my whole body rocks backward in slow motion. My eyes are wide and on the prize in my hand as I topple over onto my back, still giggling. "Up you go!" Jake says as he grabs my knee and I use his weight as leverage to lift myself up again.

"Thanks. I wasn't sure how I was gonna manage that on my own." I said seriously, settling in my comfy pile of leafy greens again.

"Manage what?" He asks as he takes the proffered weed.

"Huh?" I have no idea what he's asking. His eyes are bloodshot and glassy and I'm sure mine are the same. "What is it this time?" I ask, using my chin to point to the smoke.

"Critical Two Point Oh." He says on his inhale, making his voice deeper.

I nod excessively. "Good shit."

He hums in response.

Jake and I finish our break and we just sit in the forest, chatting about what I wanted to do now that Edward was out of my life. Since he knew how horrible the vampire had been making me feel and now that he knew Edward was a vampire, I could tell him the extent of everything. Alice's clairvoyance and how she used it to her advantage, Edward's overbearing control issues -which turns out, he had been thralling me and the only reason I was annoyed with it now was because it wasn't working as well- and Rose, rooting for me to stay human the whole time.

"I knew I liked blondie for a reason." Jake says with a nod.

"Yeah, she's good people." I agree. My body feels weightless and I'm leaning against Jake when I realize it's got to be really late. "You know what time it is?"

Looking up through the trees to see the moon, Jake squints his eyes and seems to concentrate for a moment. "It's 10:30." He says confidently.

Sitting up, I twist around and look at him. "Seriously? You can tell the time like that?" That'd be totally cool and I need him to teach me how to do it too.

"No."

Sagging my shoulders, a giggle slips out. "What a turd." The giggle turns into a full blown laugh and we both sound like we're super duper high so I try to stop them but it only makes me giggle harder. My sides hurt but I just can't stop laughing.

"We gotta go in now. I got patrol soon and you should…" He stops talking at my look. "I wasn't going to tell you what to do. I was merely suggesting it, like a friend would. I promise." He says, solemnly.

Nodding my head once, curtly, I respond with a quiet, "Good."

We both fall over ourselves with giggles again for no real reason and make our way into the house through the back door. Charlie is passed out in the recliner, thankfully, and I see Jake out the front door to say goodbye. He hugs me tight and kisses my cheek. As I go to shut the door, he puts his foot in the way.

"Leave your window unlocked. I'll be by on patrol to check on you." He says. My mind goes to my stranger man, wondering how he would feel about me having another guy in my room late at night before I realize he probably doesn't give a shit.

Staring at him intently, wondering if that's a good idea, I lift my chin but before I can complete the nod, I change my mind. "I'll unlock it at midnight. If you're not here by 12:30, I'm locking it again. Alice will see this so you might run into someone." I say, lowly so Charlie won't hear in case he woke up.

"You do know that she can't see us, right?" He tells me.

My eyes widen, probably comically because they're so fucking heavy right now. "What? She can't?"

"Nope. I'll tell you about it in a bit. Love ya, Bells."

"You too, Jake."

Shutting and locking the front door, I cover my dad up with the thick, fleece blanket we keep over the couch before turning the timer on the television to 60 minutes. Making myself a tall glass of chocolate milk and grabbing some Doritos and a bag of Sausalito cookies, I go upstairs with my haul. I kick the bedroom door shut, easy enough so it just clicks instead of slamming, and toss the food on the bed before setting my drink on the bedside stand. The fairy lights that hang above my headboard are switched on with the small line switch and I toe my shoes off as I climb onto the covers.

My phone is full of notifications and I sigh as I reach into the chip bag and start scrolling. Edward messaged me, wanting to talk. Alice said I wasn't making the right choice. How would she know? If she can't see the wolves -which boggles my mind- then how would she know if my decisions were right or not? I can't answer as to whether or not I'm making a right decision. I'm human and I can't see the future. I'll make mistakes and that's okay. However, if I stay human, I can right those wrongs and start again. If I were to become a vampire and ended up regretting it then I would never be able to fix that. There is no cure for being dead.

Rosalie was right all along.

Each message from Edward was a soft coercion, he was playing the nice guy, trying to get me to feel guilty. Alice, on the other hand, was trying to put me in my place as if I were a young child. I suppose, to her, I am. Being 18 to her 89 or so, I would be a young child. However, she's eternally 19 so she should stop trying to act like she's my better. It irritates me to no end that she thinks she is my boss.

 _"Bella, wear the dark blue. It brings out your skin tone and Edward loves it."_

 _"Bella, don't wear those shoes, they're nasty and unbecoming."_

 _"Bella, you need to…"_

 _"Bella."_

"Bella."

I'm jolted awake, a half eaten Sausalito cookie hanging out of my mouth with crumbs all over my chest, at the sound of my name. Jake is leaning over me, his minty breath fanning across my face as I squint up at him. "Muaaah?" I mumble and he chuckles softly, his eyes crinkling with his amusement.

"Here, girl. Let's fix you up." He pulls me to sit up against my headboard and only then do I realize I'd fallen over onto my pillow when I passed out. "Damn. You really took the pot coma to a whole new level." He says as he brushes the cookie crumbs from my chest while I pull the half eaten cookie from my mouth.

I take a long, thirsty pull of my -now warm- chocolate milk. "Mmm. What are you doing here?" I ask, licking my lips clean of the sugary drink.

"I told you I'd come. You didn't lock your window." He pointed out as he sat on the end of my bed.

I looked over and saw it open, wondering when it had been unlocked in the first place. Seeing my concentrated stare, Jake poked my arm. "What?" He asked, looking concerned.

Slowly meeting his eyes, I frowned. "Jake. I didn't ever _unlock_ my window. I passed out hours ago and forgot to unlock it. It's been locked since 2 nights ago when I…" I almost let slip that a stranger had warned me but that would sound creepy. "...when I argued with Edward and told him to stay away."

Jake was growling before I'd finished speaking, up and pacing, though quiet as a mouse and mumbling to himself. His body was shaking and I wondered what that meant. I never did get to ask him much about his own life since he'd been peppering me with questions about the Cullens and me earlier.

His eyes were ringed with yellow as he looked at me and I gasped quietly, shocked at the intense glare on his face. I knew he wasn't glaring at me, it was the situation, but I hoped to God that was never focused on me directly. It was a scary face. "I need to go." He said, gruffly.

I nodded wordlessly and he stepped close, softening his eyes just a bit as he bent down and kissed my cheek. "Lock that window." Lowering his voice to a quiet breath, he leaned close to my ear. "Put something there. Something that will fall if it's opened again." Nodding again, he smiled briefly before heading to my window, his footsteps nonexistent. He left without another word or glance and I immediately struggled to my feet. They felt heavy and loud as I walked carefully over to the window and shut it tight. I locked it and pulled the lacy curtains closed before glancing around my room.

Finally, I saw it. A tissue from the tissue box on my bedside table. I ripped a small, quarter sized piece and placed it on the edge of the windowsill. There was no reason for it to blow away other than the window being opened. No fans, no heat vents, nothing. Satisfied, I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth to rid the old cotton feeling from my tongue before heading back to bed. It was 12:17am and I was restless for the rest of the night.

Would Edward or Alice have seen that I did that or did Jake stay around until I'd finished? Did he have to be around in order for him to affect her visions or was it simply that they existed? Did he whisper because they were near enough to hear him speak normally? If they were close, did they see me put that tissue there? Freaking out internally, I tossed and turned with a million questions running through my mind.


	6. The Good Cookies

"Fuck." I cursed as I got up and stubbed my toe on my way to the bathroom. I didn't look at my reflection as I passed the mirror, probably looking like I feel...Like shit. I could feel the tangled mess my hair was in, knowing I'd slept with it in a ponytail. The hair tie was now lost in the abyss that was my hair. My eyes were heavy with sleep as I peed and flushed, washing my hands with my head down to avoid the mirror. Sundays sucked. There was never anything to do because this is Forks. There's never anything to do in Forks.

Back in my bedroom, I shuffled to the window. The little tissue was exactly where I'd left it and I breathed a sigh of relief. I'd be double checking all the other windows in the house and adding a piece of tissue to each of them. Hopefully my decisions aren't being watched too closely or Jake is close by so Alice wouldn't be aware. I'll have to try to remember to ask him how he stops her visions. Does he have a kind of shield like I supposedly do that keeps Edward out of my head? That would be handy, actually.

I remember he said she couldn't see _them_ and I wondered how many of the Quileutes turned into wolves. Do all of them? Does Billy? No, that can't be right. When I hugged Billy, he was normal human temperature. Nothing offputting there. Jake, though. He's sweltering hot; like holy crow he needs a cold shower and an ice pack, hot. A light bulb goes off over my head and I gasp, tripping over my own two feet as I turn back toward my bed and sit down heavily.

Sexy, stranger man is hot like that. Overly warm and sporting a huge, muscular body. His eyes were intense as well and I tried to imagine them with a glowing yellow ring like Jake's when his wolf was close to the surface. Things start clicking into place as my mind cards through the last few days. I have so much to ask Jake.

Making up my mind, knowing Charlie is already gone fishing with Billy, I grab some clothes and head to the bathroom. After a quick, soapy shower, I dress and blowdry my hair before straightening it out and leaving it to hang loose over my shoulders. My tight dark green tank top hugs my skin in that 'feel me' texture Wal-Mart is always bragging about. I can see the outline of my bra through the material and decide to forgo an overshirt, throwing on my brown zip-up hoodie instead. I zip it up halfway and adjust the hem so it sits on my hips just right over my jeans. I decide to ditch the old, worn converse and slip my feet into the new infantry combat boots mom sent up from Jacksonville.

She'd recently fallen in love with a Marine -though she was still happily married to Phil- and had to have every piece of military issued clothing she could buy. She thought it would be fun to send me some too. I couldn't really deny that the stuff she sent was awesome and had me thinking of a career in the Marines now. I'd done some research on it after she sent me a pamphlet with a large green duffel called a sea bag. Always interested in being something more than the awkward, helpless human I was; perhaps becoming a vampire wasn't the _end all, be all_. I would be able to support my country, get an education, and make something of myself.

When Alice had seen that quick decision, which hadn't even been a conscious one at the time, she'd been frantic and started telling me more and more about how much I would love being a vampire. Looking back on it, I realize that's exactly why she'd been crazy whereas last month, when it happened, I didn't think about it at all. Nothing else had mattered, not even my own thoughts, when I was around them. It's so pitiful to me and I'm releasing a scoff before I realize it.

It takes me way too much time to tie the boots up but once I'm done, I look at myself in the full length mirror that hangs on the back of my closet door. My long hair is shining, my eyes look bright and clear -rimmed with long, thick lashes, even without mascara-, my slim body looks really good in what I chose to wear. See, I don't need designer clothes and a face caked with makeup to look good. I snatched my wallet, phone, and keys, shoving them in random pockets on my body as I walked down the stairs.

A quick note scribbled out for Charlie was stuck to the fridge after I grabbed a Coke from inside it. I'd get Chinese on the way home if he didn't end up in La Push later. It was a distinct possibility considering Sue was usually around somewhere. Idly wondering if he'd asked her out yet, I locked the door and headed to my truck. When I cranked the engine, I plugged my phone into the AUX cord and jammed my Spotify to Halestorm radio. _Bury Me With My Guns_ by Bobaflex started blaring through the custom speakers that Jake had installed and I sang with Marty as I pulled down the highway toward La Push.

My clunker rolled to a stop in Billy's driveway, the bass thumping loudly even after I took the key out and pocketed it. I had Jake rig it so I could listen to the music until the driver's side door was opened. It was nice that my best friend was so handy with cars and sensors and such. I reaped a lot of the benefits...Well, my truck did. She was running beautifully for a 1953 vintage. Unplugging my phone from the system and hopping out, thankfully not in a puddle of mud this time, I looked around as I started toward the house.

Billy was out with Dad on the lake and Jake didn't seem to be home, so I started down the path toward First Beach. I'd wait him out. My log was calling me, so was the last joint in my wallet case. Armed with my Coke and other belongings, I trudged down the path and smiled when I found my log right where I'd left it.

Honestly, as I sat there smoking and watching the waves, which were choppier today, I didn't think too much about whether I'd see sexy, stranger man. Yet, halfway through my blaze, there he was. Clad in only shorts, his back was to me as he stood with two more half naked men about halfway down the beach from me but for some reason, I felt as if he knew I was here. The way he stood, slightly angled toward me, his head cocked ever so slightly, made me aware that the hurt in my chest that was always a dull ache, was gone. Absently running my fingertips over my heart, I sighed happily that I could even _see_ this man again. They were all talking, smiling, and it made me smile just to see them happy.

Okay, maybe that's the pot talking.

"'Sup?" Jake whisper shouted in my ear and I shrieked, twisting around to see him standing behind me, much like sexy, stranger man had been standing when I'd first met him. His back was straight, arms crossed over his bare chest, clad in only dark brown cargo shorts as he smirked down at me.

I didn't miss the way the man down the beach turned at my shriek just before my eyes landed on Jake. That made me squeal internally like a fangirl.

"Scare me much, asshole?" I bit out at him and he laughed as he sat down beside me, snatching the last of my roach and practically inhaling it. "Jerk." I muttered with a smile as I shoulder bumped him.

"What're you doing out in my neck of the woods?" He asked as he stubbed out the now non-existent roach and stuck it in his mouth, swallowing it. I'd seen him do that before. He claimed it tasted good but the thought made bile well up in my throat, so I'd never tried eating my roaches.

Shrugging a shoulder, I looped a strand of hair behind my ear and glanced over at the man down the beach. He and the other two had walked a little closer to where we sat on the log, though were still talking intently to one another. "Just wanted to talk to you about a bunch of stuff." I mumbled before I took my eyes off of the sexy man and turned my attention to Jake. "Hey, so I put a tiny piece of tissue on the windowsill. No movement this morning."

Nodding his head, he said, "Yeah, I know. I was there all night. No one got close."

"All night? Jake! Next time, come in. You can sleep in my bed." There was no need for him to stay outside all night long. He'd catch a cold in the cool Forks weather.

His gaze darted almost nervously toward the trio, who I noticed, had moved slightly closer again, before locking eyes with me. "It's my job, Bells. Besides, I never get cold and I never _catch_ cold. So there's no need to worry. I'm perfectly fine." He assured me.

"What about comfort? That cannot be comfortable."

"Sure, sure. It's all good." Waving off my concern, he grabbed my Coke and took a long sip, causing me to growl. "You sound like an angry kitten."

Gasping, I said indignantly, "I do not! I sound very menacing."

He laughed at me and I noticed his eyes dart over to the three guys again. When I looked, sexy, stranger man was staring straight into my eyes, standing a mere ten feet away. My breath caught and I couldn't look away. There was a slow burning sensation in my veins, almost a humming, and it urged me forward but I planted my boots in the pebbled sand. I could feel the blood leaving my knuckles as I clutched at the log on either side of my hips. The world all but faded away as we stared at each other.

His lip quirked in a half smile and I blinked, the spell broken. Looking at my lap, I blushed, thinking how ridiculous I was to think this beautiful male would want anything to do with me. I'm not anything except a stupid girl who fell in love with a vampire. Even though he probably knows nothing of my mistake, I'm still a stupid girl that fell in love with a control freak.

Jake nudged my side. "You're not stupid." He said softly and I realized I spoke aloud. When I met his eyes, they were heavy with concern and I felt my own eyes tear up.

Whispering so the guys nearby wouldn't hear, I said, "Yes I am, Jake. I let Edward control me. I fell in love with that asshole-"

"Don't." He said firmly, his voice barely louder than mine and grasped my hand in his. I heard an odd growling noise nearby but Jake's grip tightened before I could think to look away. "He thralled you, Bella. He put you under some fucking compulsion. I don't know how you fought it, but you did! And from now on, we're going to help you keep fighting it." He pulled me into his arms as the tears leaked from my eyes, spilling over my cheeks.

I hadn't let the breakup, the betrayal, the anger, loose. I had been holding it all in because it was easier and I had no one to turn to about the supernatural world but I did now. I have Jake. He's holding me and cooing into my ear. I shut my eyes so I don't have to see the sexy, stranger man look at me like I'm crazy. We made out on the beach the other day and now I'm hugging another man. I probably look like a whore but right now, I don't care. I'm clutching my best friend for dear life as the tears fall silently, my breath hitching softly.

After a moment, I feel so much lighter, so much better for letting it all out and I pull away and right myself on the log. "Thanks Jake. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be sober." He pointed out as he handed me a blunt. It was crooked and lumpy but when I inhaled it, I scented the mango wrap and the Blue Dream inside. It was my favorite combination.

"How'd you know?" I asked as I let him light it for me.

"It was a gift. Figured now would be as good a time as any to give it to you." He said, his eyes once again turning to the trio. The taller man seemed agitated while another looked like he was talking sense to him. My sexy, stranger man was still watching me and I averted my eyes quickly.

"I look like shit." I muttered as I wiped my eyes on my sleeve, thankful that I forwent the mascara.

"Oh you do not. Your eyes aren't even puffy. Just red and that's probably because you're so chiefed right now-" He cut off with a laugh when I backhanded his arm lightly.

"Thanks again, Jake." I said softly.

"Don't mention it, girl. S'all good." He shrugged easily with a smile. "What'd you wanna talk about, anyway?"

I eyeballed the guys who were still near but now they were busy gathering firewood for what looked like a campfire. My eyes traversed the expanse of dark skin that bunched and moved sinuously in front of my eyes when sexy, stranger man bent over. The thick cord of muscle that lined his spine was taut with exertion as he lifted a heavy log and carried it over to a spot on the beach the other guy pointed out. As they built up a large pit with wood and kindling, two females joined them. We weren't close enough to hear what they were saying but I could clearly see how in love the other two men were with those two women.

"Earth to Bella?" A beefy hand waved in front of my face and the sexy, stranger man turned to look me right in the eyes. I blushed and turned to my friend.

"Zoned out, dude. Sorry." I said with a chuckle.

"Sure, sure. Zoned in on him." He pointed discreetly as the man turned his back to finish what they'd started.

I hissed at him to shut his mouth to which he laughed and took the blunt from me, inhaling deeply. When I looked over again, one of the girls was watching us and I waved shyly. Her smile was blinding as she waved back, just as shyly. "I'm just watching what they're doing."

Rolling his eyes, he playfully poked my side, making me squeak and jump. "Building a fire, duh."

"Oh shut it, all knowing one. I can see that. Is there a party going down tonight?" I could get in on a good party.

"Nah, just a few of us hanging around." He said, pulling another drag into his lungs.

"Cool, cool." I said, feeling a little left out suddenly. Jake didn't have to spend all his time with me but I was a little afraid to be left alone. Dad was going to be back to Billy's later and I would be home alone while Jake hung out here.

"You wanna go make some cookies for the fire?" My best friend asked as he stood and held his hand out for me.

My eyes lit up as I caught his meaning. I was invited and this was his way of letting me know. "The good kind or the _good_ kind?" I asked. I made Jake chocolate chip cookies once and he loved them. The next time I made him cookies, I used some oil his dad had let me have. He called those the _good_ cookies, emphasising the word to the extent that it almost sounded goofy.

"Both. Some of them, like those two girls, don't like getting high." We walked back down the path, arms linked together and I patted my back pocket and hoodie pockets to make sure I had everything.

"My coke." I murmured.

"Got it." Jake held up the bottle and I grinned. I'm wicked thirsty.


	7. Campfires

I decided against eating any of the _good_ cookies, making two batches of both kinds. I was pretty damn high throughout the whole baking process, dropping flour and eggs on the floor and laughing while Jake grumbled as he picked up the mess.

"I'm the chef! I make the mess. You clean the mess." I said happily.

As we were leaving just before dinner time, dad and Billy came home with Sue in tow. She was carrying a hot casserole dish of lasagna while Billy had a brown paper bag filled with Rainer and my dad carried in what looked like a homemade chocolate cream pie.

My mouth was watering.

"Just one bite?" I asked. Jake had warned me they were almost home so I'd put visine in my eyes and sprayed myself with my perfume that I kept in my truck.

"No way, kid. Go have fun." Charlie grumbled when I tried to take the pie from his hands. "Get out of here." He said exasperatedly when my hands kept reaching.

I giggled and followed Jake out the door, my hands full of ziplock bags that were stuffed to the brim with cookies. The stench of THC was strong in the house but Charlie knew Billy smoked. He had a prescription for his diabetes, though my dad didn't know he had a grow room out in the garage.

Opting to take my truck this time, Jake hooked my phone to the AUX cord and we listened to the heavy bass of Awolnation's _Sail_ on the short drive to First Beach. Heads were turned toward our way before I even parked and when I hopped out, I saw that Quil and Embry, Jake's two best friends, had joined the small get together.

"Is this all that's coming?" I asked as I looked at the cookies and then up to see only the trio of boys, the two women, Jacob, Quil, Embry, and of course, me.

"Yeah, why?" He asked as he started greeting his buddies. They had gotten huge just like Jake and I realized that every man here was a wolf. They all had the shorn short hair, bulky muscles, and that innate animal appeal to them.

Jake had a black tee on and cargo shorts, Quil was wearing a white tee under an open button up with dark jeans, Embry wore a baseball jersey with a pair of cargo shorts. The girls were huddled up to who I assumed were their men. The girl with the longer hair was wearing thick leggings and a long sleeved tunic under a thick winter coat to ward the chill of the evening while the girl with shorter hair was huddled under a blanket and I couldn't see what she had on. The guys from earlier looked as if they had left the beach only to change as they now were dressed in tees and jeans; they stood near the fire.

Sexy, stranger man's eyes focused on me as I walked to a long card table that was already full of food and cans of soda. When I stood there trying to find a place to put the cookies while Jake was busy chatting with his friends, he came up behind me. It was like I could feel his presence and just knew he was close. He leaned down, letting his lips brush against the shell of my ear while he spoke. The sensations that passed through my body almost had me moaning right here and I struggled not to rub my thighs together.

"I can take those if you'd like." A large hand appeared in front of my frozen form, upturned, waiting for the cookies. I can't feel his chest against my back so I imagine he's hunched over to make up for our height differences.

Mechanically, I set them in his hand, careful not to touch him. I was afraid of how I'd react if I felt his warm, soft skin. He chuckled lowly as he watched me try to set the floppy ziplock bags in his palm without touching him, his lips still against my ear. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply for clarity but all that did was fill my senses with his perfect scent of warm woods and spicy cumin.

"We gonna light this or what?" I hear Quil say loudly and my eyes pop open just as the stranger man moves away from me. I miss his warmth and his scent immediately but shake it off. Jake and Embry follow behind Quil and I lock eyes with my best friend. Something passes through his eyes as he looks at me but I can't exactly decipher the meaning.

"Hell yeah." I said, loud enough for Quil to hear and maneuver around the table to go to him.

Quil's eyes dart between me and the man who torments my every living moment and sets my veins on fire before he hands me the blunt. This one is rolled to perfection with fine ground green packed tightly inside it. I whistle as I inspect it, putting it up to my nose and inhaling the blueberry wrap. Splitting a blunt 4 ways makes it go quick and I've got half the buzz I normally do when I finally sit down next to the girl's log on a thick flannel blanket in front of the fire.

"Hi, Bella." The long haired girl who waved at me with the kind smile greets me and Jake settles in beside me.

"Hello girl I don't know." It's odd that they all seem to know me and yet I'm completely unaware of everyone else's names around me.

The way she giggles makes me wonder if she grabbed the wrong bag of cookies and I glanced nervously at Jake. He said they didn't like being high and I don't want their first impression of me to be a peer pressurer. Jake shakes his head imperceptibly and I am hit with a pang of nostalgia when I realize his hair will never shimmer down his shoulders again. At least not for a while since he chopped it all off.

A small, tanned hand reaches toward me and I grasp it immediately. She's normal human temperature and I find comfort in the fact that these girls can't shift into wolves. I have no idea what to go by -but the wolf in my dream- and he was huge. The woman is petite, thin, with long glossy black hair pulled back into a low plait. Her thick winter coat has fur around the hood and her braid lays over that while she introduces herself.

"I'm Emily, it's nice to meet you." She says sincerely. Her beautiful skin is flawless even without makeup; her thin oval face has slim features and pretty bow shaped lips that widen into a smile the longer I stare at her.

Shaking my head with an eye roll, I smile and pull my hand from her grasp finally. "Well, you already know I'm Bella. I'm prone to bouts of zoning out. You're pretty." I say, lazily and inwardly curse myself for my stoned brain as Emily giggles again, this time the other girl joining in.

Jake pokes my side, making me squeak and jump, his favorite reaction out of me apparently. "Hey Chief. Are you always this loose with your tongue?"

"Shut up." I mumble with a blush.

"I'm Kim, Bella. It's so good to finally meet you." And I believe her because her husky, feminine voice is just as sincere as Emily's was. "We've heard all about you from Jake, here. Your cookies are delicious by the way. Have you shared any with-" Her words are cut off by a sharp whistle and my eyes widen as I turn to the sound.

One of the guys -Kim's man, I think- is looking at her sharply from the other side of the fire where he's standing with two others and when I look back to Kim, I see she's frowning at her lap. What was she being reprimanded like a dog for? What has Kim done to earn that face pointed in her direction? The whole thing sits uneasy with me and I feel my face sliding into bitch-mode; one eyebrow raising slightly over narrowed eyes, lips thinned tightly. I look over at the guy and he catches my eye. Everyone is quiet, or maybe my brain is too busy focusing on this rather than everything else. Even Jake is still beside me. Dark brown eyes widen at the look on my face and I pointedly look at his girl, trying to convey that he needs to apologize. She hadn't done anything that I could tell. Obviously it's not my place to reprimand this guy and the way he treats his girlfriend but after what Edward put me through, I see no justice in his reaction to what she was saying to me. It just sits with me wrong, more so now than ever before.

The other two guys, along with Quil and Embry, are laughing as Kim's boyfriend huffs and walks over to us. He snatches Kim off the log, pulling a shrieking giggle from her lips, before he shuts her up with a kiss. It's long, heated, and passionate and I can't tear my glassy eyes away from it. The way his long, muscular arms fold around her body, the way she responds with automatic vigor. Small, shapely, jead clad legs raise to wrap low around his hips and my vision is cut off by Jake's hot, sweaty hand.

"Ew! Stop that!" I cry out, trying to pry his hand from my face.

I can feel their eyes on me, even with them covered by Jake's massive paw, and I blush when Jake's hand finally falls.

Turning a scowl on him, to which he laughs, I growl. "What the hell was that for?"

Through his laughs, he says, "You were enjoying that show way too much for a vir…-"

"Jake!" I whisper harshly, mortified that he almost exposed my v-card to everyone here. My eyes land nervously on sexy, stranger man but his back is to me as he tends to the fire with a large branch and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Marshmallows suddenly sound like a really good idea to me so I stand up, mortification forgotten, and stumble toward the card table.

A big bag of marshmallows lay in wait just for me and I rub my hands together before I grab at them quickly. "Hey Jake, we got sticks?" I called out to him.

Turning when he doesn't answer, I come face to chest with the sexy, stranger man. "Woah." I breathe as his scent envelopes me and I'm lost in a hazy dream. Picturing what his entire body would look like, naked and glistening with water droplets, I feel my panties dampen. His navy blue tee is tight around his strong shoulders and biceps but fits relaxed around his ribs and stomach. I want to touch him _so fucking bad_ but why? Why does this man turn my brain to goo?

His deep chocolate chuckle caresses my ears and I find myself melting. A hot hand on my elbow keeps me from actually succumbing to my weak knees and I feel like a tool. Shaking off the effects this man causes me, I gather the courage to look into his eyes. We're standing so close that the only thing stopping us from touching is the bag of marshmallows and I'm thankful. I'm not so sure I could stop myself from moaning like a wanton whore if his chest were to connect with mine right at the moment. Parts of my body are throbbing that have never throbbed before and I'm seconds from panting like a dog.

Dark grey-blue eyes are swirling with emotions and I can only pick out a couple of them. He's nervous yet confident and I don't know why. With only a soft, deep rumble from his throat, he lifts his hand and in it is my lifeline.

"Stick!" I smile widely and step back from him, glad to be back on task with my sugar blobs. A shiver sweeps through my body as I walk passed him and he trails a single digit down my spine and I bite my lip. Fuck, I _did_ almost moan!

Sexy, stranger man chuckles again and I dig my boots into the beach pebbles to keep from falling on my face. My body doesn't want to work around him, falling limply at his feet and begging him to do with it what he pleases. I sit next to Jake again and he drops an arm on my shoulders, pulling me into the side of his chest. Biting my lip as I push a marshmallow onto the pointed end of my stick, I roast it while Jake continues telling Embry something about a car he was working on the last two weeks. When _he_ walks by, I watch him from the corner of my eye as he settles down across the fire from me next to Kim's boyfriend. Kim is huddled with Emily again as they talk about who-knows-what and Quil is eating all the _good_ cookies.

My eyes zero in on that baggy full of cookies and I gasp at my sudden brilliant idea. I lunge for Quil, who squawks when he sees my hands grabbing for the bag on his lap. He tosses them into the air like they're on fire, his eyes wide. I catch the bag with a big smile and pull out a cookie. These things are potent as fuck so I take one, one inch sized cookie and break it in half, tossing the forgotten bag back onto Quil's empty lap. I sit down on a log and when I look up, I realize it's not the log I was sharing with Jake but the unused log between where I was sitting and where sexy, stranger man is sitting.

Shrugging my shoulders, I go on with my task. My marshmallow is burnt on the outside and gooey on the inside, exactly how I like it. Using the tiny cookie as leverage, I pull the marshmallow off the stick between the two halves of my treat and smile triumphantly, holding up my creation. No one is looking except Kim who rolls her eyes playfully and I giggle as I stick the messy concoction into my mouth.

My phone sounds with the guitar string tone and I pull it from my hoodie, unlocking it.

 _My family and I are leaving. We would like to speak with you before we go._

A second text comes in immediately.

 _Please._

"Wow, he's learning." I mumble to myself as I reply, _When and where. It would be nice to be able to say goodbye._

It's true. While I am sick of the dynamic duo's actions and words, I love the Cullens very much. Esme and Carlisle were good pseudo parents, Rosalie -the bitchy big sister- and Emmett the jovial, cheery big brother. Jasper was always on the outskirts of everything but he always had a small smile and a head nod for me, the polite southern gentleman.

 _Twenty minutes, our meadow._

Alarm bells went off in my head as I recall my dream. He must not know where I'm at or maybe he does. Is he dumb enough to think I'll go alone? How do I know this isn't a trick? He'd been so demanding as of late and now that he hadn't gotten his way, was I walking straight into a trap? Maybe they weren't leaving at all, or maybe they were and Edward wanted what had been in his possession all this time…


	8. Good Boy, Quil

My breath came in short pants and I swayed on the log as I realized what he probably wanted. No, I'm not clairvoyant like Alice or a mind reader like Edward but what else would he want? Why would he want to say goodbye to the inconsequential human girl? The fire was far away as my eyes went out of focus, the choppy waves of the Pacific and the voices around me dulled down to Charlie Brown noises in my mind. The stick snapped in my hand as I stared, unseeingly. Images flew through my mind of what would happen the moment I got to the meadow. The dream that I'd been having night upon night lately swirled around in my head until all I saw were the demonized Edward and Alice, fingers shaped like claws as they hissed at me and the wolf above my head.

"Bella! Jesus Christ, girl don't _do_ this to me!" Jake was calling to me, gripping my arms tightly and growling. Sexy, stranger man started growling too, though his eyes were on Jake, who dropped me like a hot potato.

"Ouch. Thanks, asshole." I grumbled, standing to rub my sore backside from where he dropped me back down onto the log.

"Want me to do that for you?" Sexy, stranger man whispered into my ear.

My breath caught and everyone laughed at the no doubt dumbfounded look on my face, easing the tension.

"Wanna tell me what the fuck this is about?" Jake said, thrusting my phone into my face.

Snatching it from him and seeing that he'd read through the messages, I snapped at him. "The fuck, Jake? I knew I should put a damn lock on my phone."

"Don't change the subject, you were a veritable basketcase and you were starting to hyperventilate. You don't have to go say goodbye to them, you know." Jake hunkered down beside me as everyone else went back to their seats around the fire, watching me warily.

"Shit, Jake. I'm sorry. No, I'd love to say goodbye to them but I've been having these nightmares lately and I have a feeling Edward's trying to trick me." I said in a low voice, keeping the conversation between us.

"What kind of dreams, honey?" He asked as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Well, first you should know, I'm Edward's singer." I said quietly, looking at my lap. My buzz had worn off in my panic.

"What's that mean?" He asked. The rest of them became very quiet and I looked at them all. It was at that moment, I realized they must be able to hear me, even when I'm speaking as low as I can.

Crap.

"You can hear us, can't you?" I whispered quietly.

They all nodded, except the girls.

"Fuck. Okay well, guess you're all gonna know then." I waited as the girls came closer to listen and one of the men threw a couple large logs onto the flames. "In the vampire world, there's something called a singer. A human whose blood sings or calls to a particular vampire. Normally, the singer doesn't survive the initial meeting at all. It's over in the blink of an eye and the vampire is sated with the sweetest tasting blood, ever.

"I'm Edward's singer. My number was up the day I met him." I had to pause while the growls simmered down, the loudest being from the sexy stranger. I really needed to find out his name. He sat down next to me and gripped my hand in between both of his, straddling the log. His thick, muscular thigh was warming my ass behind the log and just his touch had my stiff muscles relaxing. I swallowed hard, wishing I had a drink. "He spent the next week in Alaska after I moved to Forks and he almost killed me in class when he first met me. He didn't want to kill me. His family hunt animals and he didn't want to disappoint Carlisle so he went off to get some strength and to gorge himself. When he came back, he told me he found me fascinating because he couldn't read my mind. The longer we were together, the easier it was for him to manipulate me. I thought I was in love, but Jake pointed out something that I didn't even know could happen."

"He thralled you." Emily whispered with tears in her eyes. "That's so much worse than loving a vampire. Loving anyone! Being forced to _think_ you love them is so much worse." Her eyes connected with her boyfriend across the fire and I watched as he lowered his eyes. The action paired with her words confused me and I felt the man holding my hand tense and growl.

I looked at Jake, who was avoiding my eye contact, then back to Emily who smiled through her tears and wiped her face as she laughed at herself. "Don't mind me. It just breaks my heart to hear that you went through that."

"That's not the worst part." I mumbled and winced when the hand gripping mine squeezed too hard. He rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand and whispered that he was sorry. My phone sounds again and again but I ignore it.

"How could it get worse than that." Jake demanded more than asked.

"Look, I told you I'd been having nightmares? Well, every time I have nightmares, they somehow come true. They always have. And with Edward asking me to meet his family at the _meadow_ instead of at his house or my dad's, makes me uneasy. In my nightmare, Edward and Alice are on one side of a line, like a blurry…" I waved my hands around trying to describe the way the line looked in my dreams. "white, faded, line like thingy. It separated me and them and they wouldn't cross it. They were dirty and wild looking, clawing toward me," I fixed my hands to form claws and reached forward as if I were Alice trying to get at me in my dream. "but when I moved toward them, this huge wolf comes out behind me and snarls at them. He's huge, like," I stand and put my arm straight up in the air, standing on my tiptoes. "...Huge."

Chuckles go around the fire and I can't tell if it's because my imagination is nuts or that I hit the nail on the head. Either way, I sit back down and let my hand be embraced again. Jake lays a hand on my thigh above my knee and squeezes reassuringly.

"I'm not shocked to see the wolf, not really. And when I look back at the demon twins, I seem to _need_ to go to them. My feet move but the wolf holds me back with his huge paw." I hold my hands out in a circle to resemble the size of a dinner plate. I don't miss the looks they all give each other while I speak. "Anyway, that's the reason I'm freaking out right now. What if I go to the meadow and Edward is the only one there. He could be trying to trick me, right? Am I nuts? Why would he let his _singer_ just break up with him and let her go unscathed?" I ask them all, my eyes wide with fear.

Jake moves but before he can reach me, sexy, stranger man has me in his lap, embracing me. I look at him incredulously before my body relaxes of its own accord. The thrum that moves through my body is loud yet calming and Jake relaxes his shoulders when I slump into the man's arms. He's warming me to my soul with his heat and his tight clutch, making me think there's more to this than just some quick attraction. I shove the thought away for a moment because I'm trying to calm down not get myself more worked up.

Instead of hugging me like he was going to, Jake kneels in front of me where I sit cockeyed on the stranger's lap. His eyes are serious as he stares me down and grabs my hand. "Nothing is going to happen to you. Do you understand? We will go with you." He looks around the fire and every male is nodding, the females are smiling sadly even as their men move behind them and wrap them in their own heated embraces.

"I did this. I'm so stupid." I whisper to myself. Louder, I say, "You shouldn't have to risk your life because of me." Growls and laughs alike fill the air and I look at them like they're the crazy ones now.

"Here." A packed bowl is thrust in my face and I light it begrudgingly.

"You're not stupid. If your number was up the day you met that popsicle, you'd be dead right now. Obviously, the Gods have something else in mind for you so just stop that shit right now." Jake said as he stood to tower over where I was sitting.

"He's right. The tick thralled you. Both of them. Probably to keep you compliant and around so he could enjoy your…" Quil scrunched his nose in disgust. "... _aroma_ longer. You would've ended up their slurpee if you hadn't of been able to break their thrall. How'd you do that anyway?" He asked.

Shrugging, I said, "Beats me." The weightless, tingling sensation was back in my veins and I relaxed into this man's strong arms and chest with a hum. Once my cookie concoction kicked in, I'd be soaring for hours. "I'm a shield though so maybe it just got stronger the more I was around their mind tricks." I said, lazily.

"You're a what?" One of the men asked. His arms were around Emily and Jake shot him a look I couldn't decipher.

"A shield. Edward's mind reading doesn't work on me. Never could. Alice and Jasper's gifts worked on me but Carlisle said that's because their gifts were more physical than mental." I took another large hit off the bowl before I passed it on. The arms around me left me chilled while he took his turn but once he handed it to Jake, I was warm again and I exhaled slowly. His fingers started drawing patterns on the outside of my thigh, making me very aware of just how close we are.

"...mean anything, Jared." I heard Jake say. Following his eyesight, I saw who he was talking to. Kim's boyfriend is Jared. What is it about these guys? Don't they know how to introduce themselves? "It's just a legend."

"Are you shitting me, man? Look at her! Are you even listening? What about her mate!?" He threw his hand toward me and the man I was sitting with, causing everyone to pause and me to stiffen.

"What the fuck!" Jake yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

The other man growled lowly in warning and I shivered. The man with his arms around me tightened his grip and held me close, as if he were afraid I would run off. I just sat there, frozen. Emily and Kim eyed me worriedly but I could only stare at Jared. His black hair was as short as Jake's, his red shirt fit tighter than the others, showing off his lean, muscular build. He wasn't as tall as the man who had me in his arms right now but he was still a great deal taller than me...and Kim.

They had obviously been discussing me while I'd zoned out and I kicked myself internally. If only I wasn't such a damn lightweight. I huffed a chuckle as I recalled the indignation with which I told Jake I was _not_ a lightweight. My chuckle eased some of the tension and when I looked at each of them, one by one, again, I realized they all looked like they were going to explode. So, apparently this guy that's holding me is my mate? Apparently there's something about my shield that they know about, as well. That's all I really got from all of that though and right now, I'm trying not to freak out about saying goodbye to Edward and his family of vampires.

I stood, causing a pained noise, almost too quiet for me to hear, leave the sexy stranger's lips. "I need to go say goodbye to Edward. You coming, Jake? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?" I said as I patted myself down to be sure I had everything. Snatching a can of coke off the table that was no longer filled with food, I started walking toward my truck. Calling over my shoulder, I said, "I'll deal with all the other crap that Jared said later. 'Mkay?"

Glancing back, I could see that my statement had eased shoulders and everyone scrambled to get things done. The other stranger guy helped the girls into a vehicle after Emily quickly shoved the stuff on the table into a large tote and the guy folded the table. They were good at cleaning up quick, I must say. Jake caught up to me with Quil and Embry.

"You gonna ride in my truck or you gonna go as whatever?" I asked, not sure what to call his other part of him.

They all three chuckled. "We're all going as wolves. You wanna ride me?" Quil asked lasciviously which earned a growl from sexy, stranger man.

That growl both turned me on and pissed me off. I wasn't about to let some new man think he had rights to me just because the supernatural dictated it so. Vampire mates, singers, wolf mates. Fuck it. I'm my own girl and I'll do what I want.

"Nah, I'm gonna ride Jake instead." I said with an eyebrow wiggle. Quil busted out laughing and Jake choked on a squeak. Quil's goofy laugh was infectious and I giggled like a maniac. My supposed mate was glaring at Jake, as if he could put words or violent images in his mind about what he would do to him if he allowed me to 'ride him'. I walked over to Jake and waited for him to turn into a dog, giggling again at the odd pictures that floated through my mind at that. "So do you walk on two legs or four in the other form?"

"This isn't _Werewolf in London_ , Bells. We're just wolves." He shrugged before eyeballing me. "You're riding on my back?" He asked, carefully wording his sentence.

I giggled and nodded. "Yep. So get to barkin', boy."

Everyone chuckled and it eased the tension again. _Glad I could be of service_ , I thought as I pulled out my phone. There was a total of 6 text messages from Edward. I figured he knew that I wouldn't be alone. Without knowing much about how it all works with Alice not being able to see the wolves and all, I could only imagine how she would react if her visions went black or blurry. She would tell Edward and now he is trying to get me to listen to him and come alone.

 _Esme is sad that we are leaving but I feel it's for the best._

 _Emmett has a present for you._

 _Twenty minutes have passed, Love._

 _I'm sorry, it's a force of habit to call you that. I shall stop if you prefer._

 _Still no answer, Isabella? Where are you?_

 _Your father is not home and neither are you. Are you with those dogs?_

I deleted all the messages immediately and put my phone in my pocket. Hopefully I wouldn't lose it on the way. I'd been so focused on reading my texts and thinking up ways to destroy Edward with a flamethrower, I didn't notice that all the guys had disappeared into the thicket only to return as ginormous wolves. I gasped and jumped when a large red wolf with a black muzzle looked down at me.

"Jake?" I whispered. The wolf had his eyes with a golden ring around the dark brown and when he nodded, I giggled, reaching up to touch his face. He towered over me like a Clydesdale horse, only even bigger! He was sleek and soft, thin yet muscular. His red hair simmered in the moonlight as it broke through the clouds ahead and I smiled as I stroked his cheek.

A hot, wet nose sniffed at the back of my neck and I twisted around quickly only to gasp louder than before, my hands going to my mouth, my eyes filling with tears. How could my dream get every detail so correct? There he was, the wolf from my dreams. His fur was slightly longer than the others and I itched to touch it to see how soft he was. Before I could do so, however, a chocolate brown wolf dashed out of the thick bushes and headed toward me with his head down low. I squealed but before I could move, he pushed his between my thighs and I flailed as he tossed me onto his back. Digging my fingers deeply into his soft fur, I shrieked as he hopped and bounced like a puppy and I hung on like he was a bucking bronco.

Jake and the other wolves huffed what sounded like wolfy chuckles and I giggled through my cries of delighted fear. "I guess I am riding this one, Jake!" I called as he bounded us out of sight. I had to wonder if this one was Quil, the way he huffed and snuffled when I said I was riding him. Leaning down to pet his face as he trotted, I said, "You're such a good boy, Quil." Taking a chance with his name. His ears perked up and he hopped again, making me laugh and I knew I'd gotten it right.

The other wolves sidled up beside and behind us, a large black wolf taking the rear. Jake lead the formation while the silver wolf was on my left and the gray wolf with black spots was on my right. I felt like royalty as I sat in the middle of the diamond formation on the thick chocolate fur of Quil's wolf. My fingers clenched and unclenched in his fur, causing my nails to rake across his hot skin and he rumbled in his barrel chest. It created a vibrating sensation between my thighs and I had to adjust the way I was sitting. Quil was cute and all but he just isn't my type.


	9. Awkward Little Girl

The slow trot through the forest was amazing from way up here on the wolf's back. Leaves hung low and I brushed my fingers against them as we passed them. Everything was beautiful in the black of night with the white of the moon shining down and causing tiny drops of water that clung to leaves and branches to sparkle. Everything was always covered in dew drops due to the perpetual wetness of Forks, Washington and usually I hated it but tonight, wandering through the forest, it was picture perfect. I allowed the calming feeling to envelop me as I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of the moon high in the sky.

There was a message from Charlie. He'd used Jake's cell phone to let me know he had made it to Billy's but his words were all messed up so I knew he'd imbibed a bit too much. I sent him an 'I love you, dad' text and closed my phone. My wolf was watching me curiously. I could feel his eyeballs lasering into my skin, causing it to tingle and I blushed, looking down at my hands clutched in Quil's fur. My hair fell around my face, making a curtain and hiding my face from the other wolves.

We arrived at the clearing a bit too soon for my liking and I relaxed when I saw every one of the Cullens there. Like in my dream, the wolves stayed on one side of the meadow while the vampires stood on the other. There was no blurry, ghostly line splitting the area and I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking my brain is just messed up. It was a little too odd though, that the wolf in my dream is one of the wolves in this formation.

The large animals halted as one, as if they were connected somehow. Another question for the jar in my head. Edward narrowed his eyes at Jake before he found my face. He looked none too pleased to see me sitting on the back of an enormous wolf and I averted my eyes from his. I didn't want to risk getting sucked back into some kind of thrall.

"Bella, sweetheart. What's going on?" Esme asked in her typical motherly fashion. Her caramel colored hair was braided over her shoulder and laying on her lavender paisley blouse. Dark tan khakis adorned her small legs and she looked ever so beautiful, like always.

"Hey, Esme." I murmured with a small smile. I had nothing against her or the rest of them. My only issues lied with Edward and Alice. If I found out they had been using the thrall as well, that may change.

"You're high." Edward said shortly. His anger made his voice deeper, rougher.

"Mhmm. I am." I nodded.

Emmett and Jasper snickered and I smiled lazily back, watching them carefully. They seemed to be okay with me, same as Rosalie. Things had always been rough between the tall blonde and myself because she didn't like the thought of me throwing away my human life to be a vampire, something she had never wanted for herself. Now that things had changed, she seemed to have gotten over her aversion and I smiled at her as well.

"I'm not as high as I was, but yes. I'm still pretty high." I giggled.

"We can tell. Your eyes are red, Cheech." Emmett said with a wide, dimpled smile.

I giggled again at the nickname, similar as it was to Jake's nickname 'Chief' for me. It was an ongoing joke with us since his dad is Chief of their tribe, my dad is Chief of Police in Forks and we both like to get 'chiefed' together. Jasper smiled at my, most likely, blissful emotions and I saluted him.

Carlisle cleared his throat for my attention and I looked at him. Edward and Alice, I noticed, had been eerily still and quiet, both trying to get me to look into their eyes. I refused.

"Bella, Edward says you…"

"Bella, please don't break up with me." Edward cut his maker off with a sad plea but I still refused to look at him, keeping my eyes on Carlisle's neck. I didn't want to risk any of them using some vampire mojo on my mind and right now, I wasn't sure who I could trust other than the wolves.

"Edward?" Esme gasped as her gaze darted between the two of us. The look of horror on her face had my heart twisting and I knew immediately that I could trust her, if no one else. I couldn't handle her being angry with me, thinking I dumped her first created for no reason.

"I broke up with you because you were using compulsion on me, Edward. You and Alice. Always trying to make me into your perfect little doll. I'm a person. A real live human being." I said as I shook my arms around as if to prove my point. "You don't get to use your mind tricks on me."

Carlisle growled, as well as Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme. It seemed the family didn't know what Thing 1 and Thing 2 were up to after all.

"Are you serious? You thralled your own mate, Edward? What is wrong with you?" Esme scolded before getting cut off by loud growls from the wolves.

"I'm not his mate." I said confidently, loudly. I wasn't absolutely sure about that but surely I couldn't be a mate to a vampire and a mate to a wolf. Although they're two different species so it might make sense if I'd never met the wolf and only met Edward. Perhaps there was more than one soulmate in the world for someone and if I'd never met the sexy, stranger man then he would have gone on to find someone else that was made perfectly for him. The thought sent a wave of pain through me and I clutched at my heart.

Alice snapped out of her blank faced reverie and pointed at me. "Aha! See? Just saying it makes your heart hurt. Of course he's your mate!" She looks slightly unsure about that statement and I wonder if it's because she's flying blind here.

Rosalie gaped at me and I grimaced. "It wasn't the words that caused that, it was my thoughts. I have a soulmate and my thoughts led me to thinking if I'd never met him maybe he'd find someone else. That's what caused the pain...I think." I said, still rubbing my fingers over the tender spot under my rib cage.

The wolves, who were lined up on either side of Quil, looked over at me in unity and I shrugged. I'm not stupid and Jared let the cat out of the bag.

"You are _not_ mated to a wolf, Isabella. You're mated to me!" Edward said.

"No. I'm not." I said slowly, as if he was stupid. He was trying my patience.

"She's right, Edward. She's never felt for you what you felt for her. Even then, that's a good thing since you mostly felt possession and thirst." Jasper drawled and Alice looked at him as if he had betrayed her. He shrugged and tugged her into his side, kissing her temple.

"What the hell have you done, Edward?" Emmett spat at him. His brother turned to face him and seeing the fury on the larger man's face, Edward flinched. Or maybe it was what was in his mind that made him flinch.

"No! She's mine! The Volturi cannot have her!" He cried and stepped toward me once but the earth shattering sound of wolf growls filled the air and echoed off the trees around the meadow, causing my hands to fly up to my ears.

"What do you expect? You bring a human girl into _our_ house, tell us all she's _your_ mate, and now we find out she's what...A _pawn_ in some sick game of yours?" Rosalie hissed at him as she stormed toward him and jammed her finger into his chest.

"She's my singer. She's mine. I get to do whatever I want!" Edward shouted, receiving looks of horror from Carlisle and Esme. Emmett shook his head looking disgusted.

"Enough!" Jake yelled, his deep timber scaring the few birds that remained in the forest around us. I hadn't even seen him change into his human skin but I averted my eyes when I caught sight of his bare ass before he pulled his shorts up. "You don't get to play games with a human. Singer or not, you had the control not to suck her dry the moment you met her. Don't tell me you don't have the control to let her go!"

Rosalie nodded curtly at Jake's statement and he winked at her, causing her to grimace and turn her head. He chuckled at her reaction.

"Jesus Christ, can I please get a blaze? I'm fuckin' dying here." I muttered. The cookie was taking way too long to traverse my veins. Jake pulled out his own hard case wallet and threw it at me without even looking my way, keeping his glare trained on Edward. I caught it gratefully and immediately lit up what I found inside it. "Mmm. Much better." I said on the exhale. Ignoring the gaping stares of the vampires across the meadow, I enjoyed the half joint before butting it out and putting it back into the case and pocketing it.

"You told me over and over again that you were no good for me. I see that now." I drawled out to Edward as I leaned back on my palms on Quil's back. He was warm and solid and I felt safe on him, knowing he wouldn't let me fall. "You said you were a monster and while I disagreed with you because you're not...weren't…" I paused and licked my lips, letting the quiet rumble of discontent from the wolves fade before I continued. They obviously disagreed with me. "Your family lives unlike others of your kind. Hunting animals and keeping up the human facade." I said, gesturing toward the entire Cullen clan. "Being what you are does not a monster make." I said wisely, earning a chuckle from Emmett. "You turned into a monster by luring me in, baiting me, thralling me, controlling me. If you were human, you'd be the same kind of monster. You don't control the one you say you love and it's obvious to me that you never loved _me_. You love my _blood_."

My quiet statement hung in the air and I watched as Edward trembled with my words. His eyes were black but I couldn't tell if he was angry with me or angry with himself. He was always so self-deprecating but was that because of his lie or because of who he really was? It had hurt me earlier at the fire when I realized that Edward may never stop 'hunting' me and playing with me for my blood. That he would continue to be around until I was either turned or dead.

"We're leaving. We're moving out of the country, Bella. I'm so sorry." Carlisle stated.

Rosalie stepped forward, still far away. "Please don't say anything to anyone. We'll be in enough trouble if the Volturi find out about you, we don't want you to be killed just because Edward is a douche." She plead with me.

"I'd never tell. Besides, I'm no longer a vampire girl. I'm a wolf girl and it looks like they've got their own secrets to keep, right? If your Volturi ever find out, just let them know that I'm not some silly human in the human world surrounded by temptation to run to the tabloids. I'm part of the supernatural in my own way. Hopefully all will be okay. If it's not, please at least let me know that there's a war coming."

The growls of the wolves backed me up and I smiled as I dug my fingers into Quil's fur deeper.

Esme looked close to tears and I felt my heart lurch for her, twisting in response to her sadness. Her son had done this and they had to deal with him now. Alice just stood blankly, sifting through what I now assumed was a blank canvas before her eyes lit up. Edward's -after reading her mind- lit up too. She glared at me before plastering a fake smile on her face.

"It was good to know you, Bella. Ciao." She lied before she darted off with Edward by her side, leaving Jasper to stare after her before shrugging.

"Isn't she your mate?" I asked, pointing in the direction the two had run off.

"Nope. Never was. But I wasn't about to let that little thing go to waste before Edward got his head out of his ass." He chuckled at my fish faced expression.

"Edward and Alice?" I asked while the rest of the Cullens looked on incredulously, asking if the empath was serious. It stung that he would play such a game with me, knowing Alice is his mate. The working minds of vampires would never cease to amaze me.

"Yep." He popped. "She didn't want anyone to know until I found my mate. Guess I'm gonna find her soon!" He smiled widely. "It was lovely to see you again, Bella. Take care of yourself."

I tossed him a dazed fingerwave before he darted off with a quick, 'See you at the house' to the rest of the Cullens. Only Rosalie, Esme, Emmett, and Carlisle stood before us now and I relaxed even further.

"I assume I'm not gonna have any trouble from them again now, eh?" I asked as I slid down the bulk of Quil's side, landing on my feet carefully. Still having no idea what really went on right now, my high addled brain was too fuzzy, I wandered closer to the center of the meadow before a growl stopped me. I turned to see my wolf behind me and above me, towering over me like he had in the dream. Looking from the Cullens to him once more, I shook my head with pinched brows. "They won't hurt me."

"Of course, we would never!" Esme gasped, properly affronted. "We love her like a daughter and never want to hurt her. If we had known what Edward and Alice were doing, we never would have let him near her."

I believed her and ran to her before the wolf could stop me. She opened her arms for me and embraced me tightly. "I'm gonna miss you so much." I whimpered into her neck. Her hug got more snug and I giggled.

"We're gonna miss you too, sweet girl. You take care of yourself, okay?" She pulled away and pressed her tiny hands to either of my cheeks, staring into my eyes with those deep gold orbs. I had no worries that she would try to thrall me. "I love you so much, my daughter."

I felt the tears fall down my cheeks and Carlisle came up beside his mate as she dropped her hands. He wiped my tears and hugged me, murmuring words of comfort. Once he let me go, Rosalie was next with a bouncing Emmett behind her. She caressed the apple of my cheek with her knuckles and smiled fondly. It was so odd seeing the compassion in her gaze instead of anger and betrayal.

"You have _so many babies_ , okay?" She whispered as her eyes filled with tears that would never fall.

I just stare at her, watching as her eyes go in and out of focus while her mind takes her to places only she's been. She steps back, still in her own mind, and Emmett takes the opportunity to scoop me up. I squeal and giggle as he spins me around.

"You smell so bad, Bells!" He shouts, causing chuffs of laughter from the wolves behind me and chuckles from the other 3 vampires. I blush as he sets me on my feet and sniff my shoulder.

"I smell delicious." I retorted haughtily, causing him to laugh.

"Well sure, but your clothes stink like hot garbage and skunk. You, my sweet smelling blood bag, need a shower." He said as he booped me on the nose. I giggled while a couple of the wolves growled at his choice of words. He ignored them good naturedly and smiled at me, twisting a lock of my hair between his fingers, before his smile faded and he frowned.

"What's wrong, Em?" I asked him, concerned at his change in demeanor.

Sighing heavily, he lets his hand fall from my hair and smiles sadly. "I'm sorry that he did that to you. You don't deserve that shit." He said in reference to the thrall Edward kept me under. I shook my head, agreeing with him because I didn't deserve it. "I'm not excusing his behavior but I have met my own singer. Poor girl didn't make it." He paused when the wolves growled loudly and Jake silenced them with a look. "I couldn't help it." He said in defense. "A singer's blood is the most absolutely enticing scent we ever come across. Think of it like this: If you're a heroin addict and you try to wean yourself off -no other drugs to help you- like suboxone or something, right? Then suddenly, a spoon and needle are thrust into your hand and your entire being craves it. You shake, you drool, you scratch at yourself. You need that fix so goddamn badly." He stops and sighs again. "I'm so sorry that he played with you the way he did."

"It's not your fault. None of you. I still don't get why she didn't just admit Edward was her mate. Why drag me into it at all? Why not just kill me and go live happily ever after with him?" I asked, referring to Alice. She knew Edward was her mate but stayed with Jasper. That had to have hurt Edward on some level, perhaps causing him to become possessive and controlling with his singer.

"Alice has always relied a little too heavily on her visions. I can't begin to excuse her actions or make you understand the ways of the vampire mind...Hers in particular. However, what I can say is that she likes things to go her way or no way." Carlisle said.

I shook my head. "None of it makes sense to me, Carlisle. She left Edward alone when Jake had him in my kitchen. She just left him. How could she do that when he was in trouble." I know my thought process was making everyone edgy. Why would I be so concerned for Edward after he treated me like he did but I couldn't help but feel that he was just another pawn in Alice's game.

Rosalie spoke up, quietly, as she joined Emmett's side. "Alice doesn't remember anything from her human life. She has always been an awkward little girl, trying to make her way through her new eternity. I think she focused too much on being like the vapid human girls we go to school with." She looked at me apologetically when I half glared at her. "Not you, Bella. You've never been vapid. I thought you were at one time but now that I know Edward was using his thrall, everything makes more sense."

"How did you break through it, Bella, if I may ask?" Carlisle asked, ever the scientist.

Shrugging one shoulder, I walked back over to the group of wolves and tangled my hand with Jake's. "Remember how you said I was a shield?" I murmured, knowing he would hear me and possibly put two and two together.

Light dawned in his eager eyes. "You strengthened it. I wonder how?" He asked himself as he brought a finger to his chin, deep in thought.

"I figure it's because Doucheward was always trying to peck into her mind." Jake said with a sneer. "All that probing probably pissed her off subconsciously and caused it to…"

He was cut off by Carlisle's whoop of clarity. "Thicken so she could protect herself better!"

Jake nodded reluctantly and I squeezed his fingers with a smile. "That's the rumor." I joked, quoting Doc Holliday.

Emmett caught the drawl and laughed. "Who knew our little Bella was so cool."

Pretending to be indignant, I sniffed. "Duh. Way cooler than you'll ever be."

Rosalie giggled, a beautiful sound if I'd ever heard one, and leaned into her mate's side. "I like you, Bella. I really hope you have a wonderful life."

"So you all really are leaving?" I asked, a little worried that I'd never see these four again.

Esme nodded sadly. "Yes, dear. We will never truly leave you, so don't worry about that. You'll always have us if you need us. We would never abandon you like that. It's just...just that we think you could use some time without us and we need to focus on Edward and Alice. They need to understand what they've done. If you hadn't had the wolves to fall back on…" She paused and looked to her feet.

Carlisle rested his hand on her shoulder and she tilted her head to kiss his knuckles. He took over for her with soft tones. "Bella, what she's trying to say is -and please don't shoot the messenger-" He added to the wolves. "if you hadn't had the wolves and this happened still, by order of Vampire Law, we would be required to either kill you or turn you."

While I nodded, assuming that was the case, the wolves all snarled and huffed, clawing at the ground. I held up my hand and oddly, they all fell silent. I quirked an eyebrow as I looked at my hand curiously, causing Rosalie to snicker. "Fact is that I _do_ have the wolves," I said, leering at them all in silent reprimand. "so there's no need to go off the deep end here. I appreciate your honesty."

They smiled and Esme darted forward again, cupping my cheeks between her cool hands and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I've already left a packet of our information on your bed so when you see the tissue on the floor, don't freak out, okay?" She whispered and I hugged her, smiling.

She had a knowing look in her eye when she pulled away and I smiled again. She must've known I'd put it there to know when Edward came into my room. "Phone numbers and such?" I asked and she nodded. I sighed thankfully before turning to Rosalie. "I'll let you know when I get pregnant." I'd said it as a joke, the cookie finally bursting through my blood but the brilliant smile on her face and the quiet choking sound coming from one wolf in particular had me giggling. The other wolves laughed, Jake's a booming human one while the others huffed and chuffed into the night air.


	10. Secret Keeper

We said our goodbyes and I left on wolfback again. This time I rode Jacob and I pulled on his fur like it was reigns, neighing and laughing when he would growl at me. There was no diamond formation with me at its center this time. Everyone loped back to La Push easily and -to me- silently. Watching them closely, I could tell they were connected in some way. Perhaps they had a sort of telepathy that allowed them to interact. It would make sense, since they need to be able to communicate somehow. Perhaps it's empathy instead and these boys can decipher emotions like Jasper. That would be pretty cool.

It was late when we got back to Billy's so everyone dispersed to their own homes after a longing look from my wolf and then Jake and I plopped onto his tiny double mattress together. Charlie was asleep on the couch next to where Billy was passed out in his wheelchair. Seems they had a bit too much Vitamin-R tonight. I left my dad a note, saying I was also here so he wouldn't worry in the morning, and slipped out of my jeans before I got into bed and passed out on Jake's chest.

No nightmares assaulted me last night and I woke feeling refreshed, if a little sweaty. My hair was stuck to the back of my neck and there was a small puddle of drool weaving its way down Jake's side from where I had been laying my head. Groaning, I wiped the wetness from him with a blush and twisted around to stand from the bed, leaving Jake to snore quietly in peace. I nabbed a pair of his old sleep shorts and pulled them on. They were big on me and I had to roll the waistband a couple of times but they felt better than jeans first thing in the morning. Finishing my morning business, I'm in great need of coffee and I can tell Billy's already made it.

No one is around and I wonder why for a moment before my eye spots the coffeemaker. The balls of my feet drag across the linoleum as I head to make myself a cup. Once the steaming liquid is swirled with some sugar, foregoing the cream for my first cup, I sip at it, slouching at the table. My eyes are out of focus as I recall the meeting with the Cullens late last night and a pang in my heart reminds me that they are leaving for good. It makes me breathe easier, knowing that Alice and Edward are gone for a while -hopefully forever- and I try to have faith that Carlisle and Esme won't let them come back for me.

Hard to have that faith though when they didn't know what their 'kids' were up to in the first place. It still boggles my mind that Edward and Alice are mates. They did always get along very well, finishing each other's sentences, hanging off each other. I don't have siblings so I just assumed they were rather close. There was no indication that there was a sexual energy between them or even anything other than familial love. Then again, they were stone-faced creatures and could hide a lot from a dense human like myself. Also, Edward is so against the idea of sex that he probably didn't care that his mate was getting fucked hard by a sexy cowboy every chance she got.

Hearing Jake rustling in the bedroom, I shuffle over to the coffee pot again, opting to have cream this time. When I get to the fridge door, I let out a little shriek as I see the note Charlie left for me.

 _Headed to work Bells. Don't be late for school._

"Oh God." I groaned when I saw the time. I'd missed half the morning already. Charlie was going to kill me.

"What's up, buttercup?" Jake asked as he grabbed his own mug from the dish drainer and filled it.

Leaning my hip against the counter, I held Charlie's note between my fingers for him to see. His eyes widened and I nodded. "It's Monday." I said, pointing out the obvious.

"Shit." He hissed as he gulped down the rest of his coffee and dropped the empty mug into the sink.

"Right?" I followed him to his room and started tugging on my own clothes again, leaving Jake's where I found his...On his floor. I grabbed my keys and thanked him for letting me stay as I headed out the door.

Not in any rush, considering I'm already late, I drove home to grab my bookbag. The further from La Push I get, the worse the pain in my chest feels and I rub my fingers into the muscle above my breast, trying to ease it. Halfway to school, I decide I should call my father to take my mind off the ache. It confuses me why it happens but when Charlie answers, I put it out of my head to think on later.

"I don't want to hear about this happening again, Bella." He said down the line after I explained that I'd slept in.

Properly chastised, though he couldn't see, I nodded. "I'm sorry, Dad. It won't happen again, I promise."

"Good, I don't want to have to ground you from going out on Sundays." His words came out gruffly. He started going on about responsibility and being tardy, as if I wasn't an exemplary daughter.

I had to bite my tongue fairly hard to keep from lashing out. I know that I'm in the wrong for staying out too late and not remembering that it was Monday _and_ for sleeping in so late that I am not going to get there before the lunch bell. However, I am just a few short months away from being 19. Why did he feel the need to threaten me with grounding? Why ground me at all? I get the top grades in my class -if Edward and Alice were disqualified for being vampires- I'm never late, never skipped. I know I put him through his own brand of hell when I took off for Phoenix but this day was a complete accident. I'm usually early, if not on time and I'm very responsible, usually. Hell, I'm the sole housekeeper of our place. The only reason Dad helps me with anything at all is because he _feels bad_ , not because he's the _dad_.

"Bye, Dad." I said through clenched teeth, hanging up the phone before he responds. Tossing the phone on the bench seat, I huff a growl then chuckle at myself because I sound more like a petulant kitten than a damn wolf.

Going into the office for a late pass, Mrs. Cope, the secretary eyes me warily. "Your father called and excused your absence this morning, Bella. Are you feeling better now?"

Clarity hits me when I realize she thinks I'm sick. Smiling shortly, I shrug. "Yeah, I'm alright."

She hands me the late pass without further adieu and I head to the lunch room. I'm not really hungry but decide to grab an apple so I won't be starved before school gets out. Jessica waves me over and when I sit next to her, she immediately wants to know what's going on with the Cullens leaving.

Damn. I wish I'd gotten their cover story because I have no idea where they're going. Winging it, I take a big bite of my apple and swallow before answering her. "Dr. Cullen got a job offer or something. Or maybe it was Esme." I trail off, looking unsure. Jessica is listening raptly, tapping her nails on the table impatiently. "Either way, Edward and I broke it off because long distance shit sucks."

Humming, Jessica puts on a face full of pity but I don't want any part of it. "Jess, really it's cool. He was on my last nerve anyway."

"Really, why?" She asks, completely forgetting that she's supposed to be eating and that we've got the attention of the entire table. Tyler not-so-subtly gets Eric to switch seats with him so he can sit next to me, which pleases Eric because he's got a huge crush on Angela. Unfortunately for him, Angela only has eyes for Ben Cheney.

Lauren Mallory is sitting on the other side of Jessica and when I take a bite of my apple instead of answering the question straight away, the blonde goes in for a low shot. Sneering at me, she says nastily, "Because he's too good for you, right Bella? He's too perfect and you're too plain. That's why he's on your last nerve."

Even though that was how I felt most of our relationship, while I was under his thrall, I don't feel that way now. I can clearly see the monster behind the mask and I'm thrilled that my inner shield had protected me from him at the end of the day. Lauren's mark misses when I giggle at her. She looks at me like I'm crazy and maybe I am because the giggle turns into a snort which causes me and a few others to bust out laughing even harder.

"Have you met him, Lauren or do you just see the facade?" I ask through my laugh. She quirks an eyebrow at me and I roll my eyes. "The designer clothes, the perfect hair? Sure, he's gorgeous, no one can deny that but he's just a pitiful little boy trapped in a redundant life. He's a fucking baby who tries to control everything and everyone around him. When he doesn't get his way, his fits are epic. That's why. I was tired of being his mother."

It's a little far from the truth but I'd rather sling shit than curse myself with a death I'm not ready for. No matter how angry I am at the little puke, there's no way I'm going to basically commit suicide just to get back at him a bit. Besides, he'd never know what anyone here thinks of him now that he's gone. Who cares what I say, so long as I keep the secret?

Lauren huffs for a moment before her vapid mind takes a turn. "So he tried to control you?" She asks with an earnest pity instead of sounding like a vindictive wench.

"He _did_ control me." Is all I say on the matter.

She nods and I wonder if they're all remembering who I am. How I made friends with these people my first couple weeks of school and then when Edward asked me out, they didn't exist. No one existed. Only Edward and his perfect family. The rest of lunch goes by fairly easily with no more questions about the Cullens, though Tyler tries to get me to go out with him and it seems that Lauren is enjoying watching me turn him down.

As I'm walking down the hall to Biology, Malcolm sidles up to me and slings a dark arm around my shoulder. Glancing at him before watching where I'm walking again, I see he's dressed in dark jeans that are a little baggy and an oversized Seahawks jersey. His hair is cropped short to his head and he's sporting red Jordans. He's really adorable with his light brown eyes, wide nose and plump lips. His jaw is angular and his skin is the color of dark chocolate.

The ache in my chest is dull and constant and makes me wince but when I look up at Malcolm, he seems concerned so I push the pain away with a shrug. "Heartburn." I said at length, however it makes me wonder where the pain is coming from.

Scrunching up his nose, in his deep voice he says, "Damn, that sucks. Need some tums or something?" He's sweet to ask.

Smiling, I shake my head. "No thank you. It'll go away on it's own." I hope, I add silently. I need to figure out what this ache is. Why isn't it an issue when I'm in La Push? Am I just not thinking of it at all, being around people that make me laugh and have a good time? Is there something wrong with me? That thought makes my heart skip a beat. I don't want to be sick.

"If you're sure." He says, pulling a small roll of tums from his front pocket and wiggling it in my face. "I get heartburn a lot. Here." I giggle as I hold out my hand. He drops two into my palm before pocketing the antacid again.

"Thank you." I pop the chewables into my mouth. "Well, this is me." I point to the open door of the Biology room and he chuckles.

"I know. It's mine too."

Huh. How didn't I know that? "Oh." I feel the blush covering my entire face and he chuckles again.

"It's ok. You were pretty into Edward there for a bit." His easy going nature is catching and I nod, because it was true. It makes me feel like an asshole, even though I know it wasn't my fault.

We walk in and I watch where he goes to two tables behind and to the right of me, behind Mike and Angela. No wonder I never noticed him before. I always avoided looking at Mike when Edward was around because he was so possessive and I was sick of hearing all the violent things he would threaten Mike with.

 _"He's thinking about you, Love. You don't know how badly I want to rip his intestines from his throat and strangle him with them."_

To which I would reply, " _His intestines are fine right where they are_." Irritated at the way he callously talks about killing an innocent human being for his thoughts alone. He snickers behind his hand and I stare at him incredulously. " _That's disgusting_."

I shake myself from my thoughts and realize I'd zoned out the entire class. Mr. Mason gives me an odd look but since my late pass said I'd been sick this morning, he just lets it slide. I leave the school unscathed and open the front door to my house. I need a damn shower before I get started on the boss' dinner, frustrated all over again with my father for casually throwing that word around. _Grounded_. Ugh!

I take my absolute time in the shower, still grimy from sweating all over Jake all night. I'm sure if Charlie saw how we woke up, he would think we were more than just friends but I really did only see him as a great friend. The best, actually. He didn't seem to have any feelings for me in that way either, which is good because I don't know how I would handle it if he did.

Lathering up my hair, I think about my wolf. His sleek fur and the way his chest rumbles when he growls. He's a beautiful specimen and if he really is my mate, then I want to get to know him more but he doesn't seem eager to get to know me. He knows who I am, where I live, he's friends with my best friend. There doesn't appear to be any _need_ to be near me. I rub my chest with soapy fingers, pressing deeply into the tissue that covers my heart. If he feels half of what I'm feeling, perhaps he'll make a move sooner than later.

Figuring that he will take his time because he's a man, I resolve myself to be single for a while and just enjoy life. Maybe I'll date, maybe I won't but it's my life and I'm not going to let it be dictated by a vampire or a wolf...Not even my father will dictate my life. I need to figure out a way to get a handle on the situation with him before it spirals out of control.


	11. Friendship

A few days have passed since I saw any of the wolves last. Charlie has been scarce between work and passing out in front of the television with a beer in his hand. In my angry state, I didn't bother waking him up at night or even covering him with the fleece blanket from the back of the couch. I know I was probably overreacting but his words had caused some discord in my brain. It stressed me out something fierce that he was threatening to ground me over being late to school _one_ damn time.

Hopping down from my truck in the school parking lot, I trudge across the yellow painted parking lines and in through the doors. Stopping at my locker, I grab what books I need for my first couple classes, shoving the rest of my bag inside the small metal compartment before shutting it and spinning the lock. Angela sidles up to me as I walk to class and we make plans to hang out this weekend. It'll be nice to get away from the house for even a few hours. We discussed going to La Push but decided on Port Angeles instead for a movie and takeout.

The day flies by and by lunchtime, I'm sitting with my normal group of friends. Lauren has been so much nicer to me since I admitted that Edward was controlling me. She admitted that she just thought I was a fake stuck-up, after friending them and then ditching them all for the first pretty face. She gives me a smile as I sit between Malcolm and Angela and I return it as I dig into my lunch. The ache in my chest -that I refuse to believe is anything other than heartburn- is still a constant and my fingers find their way to my sternum time and time again. I see Malcolm giving me concerned looks but I carefully avoid eye contact.

It was really starting to worry me.

As conversation continues around us throughout the lunch period, Malcolm turns to me and whispers lowly in my ear. "Would you like to go out with me tonight, Bella?"

I'm glad I already swallowed my water because the question caught me off guard. Remembering that I'd told him I would like to and the promise I made to myself days ago about enjoying single life, I turned to him and smiled. "That'd be great."

Giving me a smirk that reminds me so much of my wolf, he says, "I'll pick you up at 4:30 tonight, is that okay?"

My grin widens and I nod enthusiastically, knowing my dad will already be on his way to La Push by then. Running a hand down my forearm discreetly, Malcolm goes back to his lunch and conversation with Tyler who I see eyeballing me. I know he's waiting on his chance to ask me out now that Malcolm has and even though I don't intend on doing anything with any of these boys, sexually, it makes me feel really good inside to know they find me attractive or interesting enough to want to date. It's a good feeling, to be wanted.

My mind skips to the sexy, stranger man and I kick myself for not knowing his name yet. I wanted desperately to ask Jake each time I texted him but I figure it's not his place to get involved and I should ask the guy himself. I'm just a bit too nervous for that though...Sure, not too nervous to let him kiss me on the beach but too nervous to ask him his name.

I make no sense.

Lauren side-eyes me as she watches the exchange between Malcolm and me and then the look Tyler gives me. I avoid her eyes because I don't want her to go back to hating me again. That's all I need is for people to think I'm a slut. When the lunch bell rings, I dump my tray and skillfully avoid Tyler when he tries to get my attention, keeping an eye out for Lauren. It's not that I'm afraid of her, exactly, I just don't want to get on her bad side after we started a tentative understanding finally.

The rest of the day goes by uneventfully, thankfully but by the time I head to my truck, I'm nervous about tonight. Where's Malcolm going to take me? What time should I tell my dad I'll be back? Oh God. Should I even tell him I'm going on a date? Jesus, Edward has barely been gone a week and I'm already on a date with another man? What the hell is wrong with me?

"Bella!"

I spin around so fast that my combat boot skids on the pavement and I topple sideways into the front fender of my truck. Lauren's laughing face enters my view and I give her a winded smile.

"Damn boots." I grumble as I right myself and lean casually against my truck.

Still laughing, Lauren shakes her head. "Sure, blame the boots, klutzy."

It's all in good fun so I laugh with her as she stands in front of me. I can see the determined glint in her eye and suddenly, I'm wary. "What's up?" I ask carefully.

Her smile fades and she tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, looking down nervously before looking back up to meet my eyes and I see the determination solidify. "I want you to be careful." She said seriously.

Quirking an eyebrow, I tilt my head slightly, confused. "With what?"

"Malcolm." My mind immediately jumps to her being jealous and I inhale a deep breath but before I can say anything, she holds up a surrendering hand. "It's not what you think, Bella. Please just hear me out." She stands closer to me and lowers her voice as the parking lot fills with more students eager to leave the grounds. I take in her expression and I don't see a jealous cheerleader. I see a concerned friend and my brows furrow.

"Lauren, what is it?" I ask quietly, my stomach fluttering with my nerves.

"Be careful with him. He's got a reputation with the ladies." Her voice is so quiet and serious and I wonder if she is one of those ladies she's speaking about. She nods as if she can pick the question straight out of my eyes. "He doesn't take no for an answer."

I release the deep breath I was holding sharply, the forced air hits Lauren's hair and it flutters with my created wind and I stare at it, avoiding her eyes as I think about what this means. I need to take this seriously. Even if Lauren is just a bitter, jealous schoolgirl, I don't think she's leading me wrong on this one. Her bright blue eyes hold nothing but concern and friendship and when I finally meet her gaze, I've made my choice.

I nod shortly. "Thank you so much for warning me." I say.

Pushing off my truck, I squeeze her upper arm in gratitude and plaster a smile on my face as Malcolm steps beside her. I carefully watch how she reacts to his nearness. He's all wide smiles, straight teeth, cocky swagger. Lauren is not the confident popular girl anymore. She's mousy and quiet, her lips pulled down ever so slightly and when Malcolm goes to put a hand on her shoulder, she makes a tiny squeak noise and moves away. He turns toward me easily, pretending not to notice how she reacted to him.

"We still on for tonight, gorgeous?" His voice is all deep and sinful and I find myself smiling in spite of myself.

"Of course. See you at 4:30." I say brightly, giving him a wave as he walks off.

"Bella…" Lauren starts, her voice a whisper.

Shaking my head imperceptibly as Malcolm turns his head toward us one more time before he ducks into his car, I wait until he drives out of the parking lot. The moment he's out of view I step close to her and wrap her in my arms, pulling her close. "Did he rape you?" I ask in her ear.

Stiffening in my arms, I feel Lauren start to shake just before a sob bubbles up her throat. I pull her into my truck and settle her into the seat before taking off toward my dad's station.

"Bella, no! What are you doing?" She says as she wipes her eyes, seeing where I've pulled in. She goes to get out of the truck but I stop her with a hand on her arm.

"You're reporting him. We both are." I said firmly.

"No. No, we're not. He'll just say I was asking for it. And I was! I was drunk and dressed like a slut."

I cut her off with a growl. "You did not _ask_ to be raped, Lauren! Never say that again. He's a manipulator and I will never allow him to do anything like that to another woman again, do you understand me? Edward might not have touched me but he controlled me and you're allowing Malcolm to control you by not speaking out about this."

"But there's no proof." She said in a small voice, her body pushed up against the door of my truck as she tried to hide.

"That doesn't matter. Let's go in here and talk to my dad. You tell him everything, okay? I'll be with you every step of the way." I reassured her.

A few moments of deep thought passed before Lauren straightened up on the bench seat and nodded curtly. "You're right. If I hadn't warned you, it could've happened to you too. That's why I told you, right? So it wouldn't happen to you? But if I don't speak up, it could be the next girl. Let's go."

My heart was pounding the whole time Lauren spoke to my father. Turns out there had been proof. The morning after Lauren's date with Malcolm, she had gone to the doctor's office for a morning after pill, citing she had had unprotected sex with her boyfriend and she didn't want to get pregnant. She'd been put on birth control straight away and peed in a cup. The proof was tenuous at best, but it proved that she'd at least had sex the night before. She had taken pictures and hidden them on a USB drive. Torn, bloody panties; bruises forming on her arms and abdomen; a knot of hair missing from the back of her head.

Each bit of proof was not going to put Malcolm away but it was a start. An idea was forming in my head and though it was stupid and careless, I knew it would be the only way to put him away for good. I kept the idea to myself because I knew Lauren would try to stop me and there was no way I was telling my dad anything.

By the time we left the police station, Lauren's face, though blotchy from crying, was smiling and lighter. She gripped my hand tightly the whole way back to the school to get her car and when she was getting out of my truck, she leaned over and kissed my cheek. The gesture warmed my heart and solidified my reasonings for what I was about to do tonight.

"Thank you, Bella." She said in the most sincere voice I'd ever heard her use.

"Anytime. Promise."


	12. Swing Batter

**CHAPTER WARNING: Triggers possible. Please skip this chapter if it makes you queasy!**

Back at home, thankfully before Charlie was out of work, I sent a quick text to Malcolm and told him I would meet him at First Beach before texting Jake. The text to him asked him to trust me and not to interfere until the very last minute. He sent back a bunch of question marks but I said he would see this evening on the beach. My heart was in my stomach and I knew this was a huge risk. I was risking my own virginity but it was a risk I was willing to take in order to give something back to Lauren. It wouldn't be her virginity, as Malcolm had stolen that from her so callously, but it would be something. I could get her rapist thrown in jail.

"Fuck." I whispered harshly as my stomach turned. I was on my way to La Push, over three quarters of the way there and each mile I closed, though the tension in my chest lessened, the acid in my stomach churned.

Dressed to impress in a flowing light pink skirt that settled around my ankles and a pale blue short sleeve blouse; wide tan belt around my waist, I knew I looked good. My hair was in a fishtail plait down the center of my back with another, smaller fishtail braid crowning my head. I felt like I was beautiful, with little mascara and light pink lipstick on my lips. The outfit wasn't slutty, I knew I wasn't 'asking for it' though technically I was setting him up but no one knew that. He'd been pursuing me and being charming since before Edward and I split up and it hadn't been a secret.

My nerves were shot by the time I parked the truck in the parking lot of First Beach. Honestly, I wasn't sure where this confidence came from to even attempt this type of recon but now I was fully invested. Hopefully Jake would really be around to keep an eye on things in case anything got out of hand. He hadn't sent any confirmation to me after I asked him to be on the lookout, so I wasn't sure if I even would have any backup. This could all go terribly wrong and I would have no one to blame but myself.

The little black car that belonged to Malcolm pulled in and parked next to my behemoth of a truck and I plastered a smile on my face when he saw me. Locking the door behind me, leaving all important identification behind securely along with my cell phone, I turned to greet my 'date'.

"I thought I was the one taking you out." He said, his voice filled with amusement as he scoped out the area in which I'd chosen.

Ducking my head shyly, I could feel a blush color my cheeks. "Yeah, sorry. I really love the beach." Looking at him from under my coated lashes, I saw that my look had given him confidence and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders with a wide smile.

"So long as we're doing what you want to do, it's cool with me." He said.

He pulled me toward the surf and we chatted about menial things for a little while as we watched the seagulls fly above us, cawing and swooping down toward the whitecaps of the ocean. I learned that he'd moved here from California after his father got transferred to a law firm in Seattle. He loved Forks, which was odd to hear from anyone who wasn't born here, and he loved that his skin didn't burn from the sun...Considering the lack thereof.

I looked at him sideways and he grinned at me. "Yeah I know, you wouldn't think I would burn but damn do I!" He laughed, rubbing a large hand over his forearm.

"You wanna see someone burn in the sun," I said, thumbing my chest, "then you should see me after an hour. I'm a freakin' lobster." It was true. My absolute pale skin seemed to almost be allergic to the bright orange orb and unless I plastered myself with copious amounts of sunscreen, I turned into one big blister.

It was easy to gab with Malcolm and if I didn't know what I did about him then I would find myself having a really good time. He kept up a constant stream of chatter with his deep, amiable voice. He didn't paw at me, only helping me from tripping when a pebble jumped up at me or rubbing a hand up and down my arms when the wind blew too hard and sent a shiver down my spine. An hour into our beach walk, I noticed a few more people on the beach. Emily was with her man as he chatted with my sexy, stranger. I carefully avoided looking in their direction after Emily caught me looking and waved.

"You know them?" Malcolm asked as he saw me smile and wave. Nerves settled firmly in my gut when I met his gaze. His liquid eyes had hardened and though the crows feet around them were still light, he looked a little dangerous.

"Yeah, some friends of mine." I said softly, easily maneuvering our walk toward the other end of the beach, away from the wolves.

Malcolm settled his arm across my shoulders firmly and pulled me into his side, looking over his shoulder and squinting toward the figures. A sliver of fear shot through my body as he pulled us closer toward my log by the woods...The log I dubbed as mine when I came down here to toke. I didn't want any bad memories at my log so when he seemed like he was going to sit, I thought quickly, praying to the Gods that Jake was indeed nearby.

"Wanna go for a walk in the woods?" I asked, hoping the tremble in my voice wasn't picked up by my date's ears thanks to the wind. "It's getting chillier out here in the open." I said as an excuse.

Malcolm's eyes lit up and I thought ' _bingo_ '.

Funnily enough, I didn't feel more nervous walking in the woods with Malcolm. I actually felt quite confident, as if I knew that no matter what happened, Jake or my sexy stranger would come to my aid. Finding a moss covered log on its side about two hundred yards in the treeline, I sat down daintily. I couldn't see the surf anymore but we could still hear the crashing waves against the pebbled beach and hear the sea birds fighting for food. The dull pain that I'd been living with in my chest had eased exponentially and I felt at complete ease, even in the midst of a human predator.

As Malcolm settled down beside me and gabbed away about his life, of which I barely listened, feigning interest and nodding or humming in all the right spots, I let my mind wander. With all of the supernatural crap that'd gone on since my move to Forks, Washington; meeting a vampire who thirsted for my blood, getting my leg broken by a deranged hunter vampire, having my brain controlled by the two people I thought I could trust the most, my best friend being a werewolf...You would think that I would be more cautious in my doings. Yet, here I was, completely at ease with this man whom I knew had raped one of my friends. He sickened me and each time he touched me, I shivered in disgust, though I was careful to keep my face light.

Maybe it was because I knew I was protected, maybe it was because I knew what he was up to and couldn't be taken by surprise. Or maybe I was defective. It was hard to tell, really. I could just be an extremely naive teenager who is trying to wear bigger britches than I'm capable of. Either way, I felt like I could do anything in the world. I was immersed in the supernatural. There was no way a puny human being was going to scare me after everything I'd been through.

Unfortunately for me, that confidence was to be my downfall. As I had zoned out, Malcolm had stood and taken the opportunity to touch me. His large hands cupped my upper arms and pulled me up into his chest, his lips near my ear as he spoke.

"I'm so glad you decided to go out with me, Bella. I'm having such a good time." Though his breath was minty and warm, to me it left a clammy sensation under my ear and smells rancid.

I brought my hands up to his chest and clutched his shirt, not wanting to tip him off just yet that I knew what he was about. He towered over me and would easily be able to overpower me so I had to play this right. My father, being a police officer, had taught me some basic maneuvers and though I'd never tried them out aside from that one fateful night in Port Angeles when Edward saved me, I knew I could at least get this man off of me quickly when I needed to.

"I'm having a good time too, Malcolm but I'm not ready for this." I said, my voice breathless from my nerves but he took it to mean that I was hot for him and he chuckled.

"Sure you are, baby girl." One of his hands cupped the back of my neck as his other trailed down my spine, settling on my hip and gripping me tightly. My heart jumped in my chest and I could feel my face heat up with embarrassment.

Malcolm did not make me feel like my sexy stranger made me feel. Malcolm made me feel dirty, filthy. The man whom Jared had dubbed my 'mate', made me feel sexy, sinful and delicious.

"Malcolm. Please back off." I said, a little more firmly when his fingers dug into the back of my neck while his plump lips caressed the skin of my throat. He moaned as his tongue left his lips and licked a long line from my collarbone to my jaw. I struggled a little, doing exactly what he wanted. What all rapists want. A fight. "I said stop."

Chuckling, Malcolm eased his grips on my body and I found myself relaxing a little as he pulled his face from my neck. However, this was what he wanted also. He wanted me to relax, I could tell when I saw the look of satisfaction in his eyes. Before I knew what was happening, I was on the leaf covered ground, my cheekbone throbbing in pain, a shriek leaving my lips. I cupped my face and stared up at the tall black man that towered over me and I know he can see the fear on my face as tears welled up in my eyes from the pain.

"You're a little tease, you know, Bella." Squatting in front of my legs, he rested his elbows on his knees and traced a finger down my leg from my thigh to my ankle. As much as I wanted to get away from him, I refused to let my leg move more than a twitch as I laid on the ground, propped up on one elbow, staring at him.

I shook my head. "I'm not. I'm not a tease. I thought you liked me." The tremble in my small voice came out exactly how I wanted it to.

"Oh but I do like you, Bella. I'm going to show you how much I like you." He leaned his body over me, holding himself up by the palms of his hands and spoke lowly directly into my face. "You're going to be begging me for more." He drawled.

I fixed my face into a glare which was easy to do because this guy was not the charming, adorable guy he'd made himself out to be in school. He was a monster of the human variety and he sickened me. I was hoping that if Jake was around then he would wait until the last possible moment to help me...And help me, he would need to. There was no way I would be able to fend Malcolm off at all but I needed more proof than just a busted up cheek.

"No, I'm not. You're going to stop this and we're going to leave. We're going to go home and forget this ever happened." I tried to sound confident but it fell flat.

Looking down at me, Malcolm nodded held a hand out for me to take. Knowing this wasn't going to end the way I'd suggested, I played into it for him. His touch was gentle as he helped me to stand and he caressed the back of his hand down my bruising cheek. "I'm sorry about that." He murmured as he placed a soft kiss on the tender skin. "However, we're not going home." His voice hardened and he pulled me roughly into his body, forcing a squeak to leave my lips. His hands were all over my body, pulling at my top, stretching the material to get underneath it to my bra.

I struggled and told him no. I told him to stop but he didn't. His hands pushed at my clothes and pulled at my skin and I yelped repeatedly as his lips and teeth assaulted my neck and jaw. Rough fingers pulled at my nipples until I was sure they were bleeding but when his hand reached between my legs, I lost my sight. It was as if a red haze covered my face, like when you close your eyes and direct your face to the sun, a bright red fire descends behind your eyelids.

Only my eyes were opened.

When Malcolm's hand cupped my most intimate area and his fingers tore the fabric of my panties, I brought my knee up fast and sharp, connecting with _his_ most intimate area. Yelling out, one hand gripping my hair tightly in his fist, he jerked back and threw me away from him, taking a chunk of my hair with him and pulling my braid undone. I landed with a thunk to the ground but scrambled up as fast as I could, eyes darting all around as I searched for something to hit my assailant with. As Malcolm was doubled over in pain, eyes clenched shut, a large bat like branch was tossed to my feet.

My savior was here. Jake had shown up!

I grabbed the branch and held it like a baseball bat, my stance wide as I faced off my 'date'. "Listen here you sonofabitch. I told you no and I'm not going to tell you again." My voice wasn't exactly scary or menacing. It was trembling and pained. My head throbbed and my cheek was pulsing and I had a scratch on my inner thigh where he had tried to rip my panties off of me. I could feel the blood dripping down my leg.

"You fucking cunt. You're going to pay for that." His eyes were crazed as he lunged for me but before he got close enough to grab me, I swung my branch hard, cracking him upside the head and rendering him unconscious. Without thought, I spit on the back of his head.

"Asshole."


	13. Goodnight Paul

"Yes, about two hundred yards into the treeline on the north side of First Beach. Yes, that's right. White female; 18 years. Black male; 19 years. I was at the beach and heard her yelling for him to stop and when I found them, he was grabbing at her body. She kneed him in the groin and picked up a tree branch. Yes ma'am, she hit him and knocked him out."

Jake's grin split his face as he gazed at me proudly, a cell phone to his ear as he walked up to my panting, sore form. Holding the phone away from his face, he hugged me and smoothed my hair, flinching when I winced in pain. My fingers were still tightly gripping the baseball bat branch and Jake eased the wood from my hands.

Looking from the phone to me meaningfully, he said, "What's your name, honey?" His voice was loud enough so that the 911 operator could hear him. "You gotta say it so they can hear it on the phone."

My trembling made me stutter. "Is...Isabella S...Swan."

I heard the operator ask a question but didn't know what she said. Jake repeated it. "Do you know your assailant?"

I glared at the pile of asshole on the ground in front of me. "My date." I sneered. "Malcolm McCoy."

It was hours later before I was able to go home. It had been mortifying having pictures taken of my body for evidence. Bruises on my arms and waist, the cut on my cheek and inner thigh, the tuft of hair he ripped out of the back of my head. I felt like a living experiment. They took swabs even though I was adamant that he did not actually rape me and they confiscated my pretty panties that Malcolm had torn anyway.

Charlie had been frantic when he got the call from the hospital that I'd been admitted for sexual assault. Jake assured me that he erased both our phones of our messages and then he drove my truck to my house. Malcolm was taken off to jail, much to the chagrin of his mother who apologized profusely for her filth of a son. Turns out, his father didn't get reassigned to Seattle, he'd had to make a new name for himself in Seattle because Malcolm had pulled this shit in California too. Lauren came to see me at the hospital and with her statement and mine, Malcolm wouldn't be getting out of jail for a while...Not even with his lawyer father's help. The look Lauren gave me though, told me that we were going to have a conversation about this another time. I smiled as well as I could through the pain in my cheek which thankfully wasn't broken and bid her a goodnight to which she glared half-heartedly.

When Charlie went to bed that evening with a hug, that left me to sit on the back porch alone with my renewed weed stash, my back pressed into the banister behind me and a coke at my feet. I stared blankly out into the forest, half patting myself on the back for doing what I'd thought I had to do, half berating myself for being a class-A idiot. Putting myself in that position was an incredibly stupid thing to do and if Jake hadn't gotten my texts or taken me seriously, things could have ended up much different.

It was about ten minutes after Charlie went to be that I heard a rustle in the treeline and I stiffened, even in my high state. My large wolf made himself known, the bright white moonlight shining down on his fur and he sat on his haunches. I could see his eyes judging me, narrowed as they were, and I looked down at my hands.

"I know it was stupid. I didn't know how else to help Lauren get justice." I whispered the words into the cool night air and used one hand to tug my loose hoodie closed tighter. The zipper was broken on this one but it was one of my favorites, one Renee and I had picked up in Maine at Bar Harbor one summer. The wolf didn't move and I didn't lift my eyes from my now cooling bowl. "When she told me what he'd done, when I heard what she told my father...I knew I had to do something." I sniffled as my sinuses filled from the pressure of the sob that wanted to escape my mouth. "I'm well aware how stupid it was but I really didn't know…"

The day had finally gotten to me and though I was proud of the way I'd given Lauren some closure...so she wouldn't have to see her rapist day in and day out in the halls of the school, the reality of the danger I'd put myself in had finally caught up to me. Bringing my thighs to my chest, wincing at the pain of my cheek and the back of my head, I sobbed into my knees. I heard the wolf whine and then move away.

I was alone now.

A few moments passed and I finally lifted my head to take another hit of my bowl and yelped, tossing the glass into the air one way and my lighter the other. My sexy, stranger man caught both with ease and handed them to me. There was no judgement in his yellow ringed eyes as he stared at me with an unfathomable expression. So many emotions were displayed on his face for me to see as the tears dried on my face. He stared at me, the wind ruffling the longer strands of dark hair on the top of his head, his hands hanging limply by his sides. I don't know how much time had passed before he finally sat down beside me and took the pipe back from my hands, holding it up to my lips. I let the lighter go just as easily and when he lit the bowl, I inhaled the sweet, pungent weed deeply into my lungs.

His intense grey-blue gaze never wavered from mine. I couldn't even blink. There was no pain in my chest from some phantom heartburn. There was nothing else in the world except for this man's gaze and the euphoric feeling that flew through my veins from the weed.

"Paul." His velvet deep voice poured over my entire body, drenching me in a feeling I'd never felt before. Something I couldn't put a name to.

My mate's name is Paul. I love the name Paul. It's my new favorite name in the whole world. I felt my lips pull into a sappy, wide smile. "Hi, Paul." I whispered.

"Hi, Bella." He said very quietly back to me. "You done being an idiot now?" His voice was soft and though I knew he had judged me at first, I really don't see any judgement in his gaze or hear it in his words now.

"Yeah. I am." I said quietly. It was as if we were afraid of waking the woods, afraid of breaking some magical spell between us as we stared intently into each other's eyes and spoke so quietly that no one else could have heard us even if they sat right next to us.

"You better be. I never want to see you in danger, ever again." There was so much passion in his words that I couldn't help but agree.

I nodded enthusiastically and made myself dizzy. A large hot hand on my shoulder stopped me from tipping down the porch stairs. "I never wanna see me in danger again either." Edward and Alice's demon doubles sprang to my mind but I shoved the dark image away. They were gone for good. I can only imagine that my dream told me more about the wolf and my subconsious was more upset about being controlled by a vampire than them actually coming after me.

That's my hope anyway.

A dark chuckle passed his full lips and I found myself staring, remembering how those same lips felt on mine. "You will call me instead of Jake from now on when you're in trouble." Though it was a demand, I couldn't find it in myself to be angry with him. I knew eventually I would rebel. Jake is my best friend so I'm sure to call him first sometimes, but I found myself nodding nonetheless.

"Have a good night, Bella." Paul leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'll be watching over you." A burst of electric heat enveloped my body from the point on my forehead where his lips touched.

In my completely stoned state of mind, I just nodded, thankful that he would stay around. "See you soon?" I asked, lazily.

Paul nodded and I watched as his muscles bunched and coiled as he walked backward toward the treeline, keeping his eyes on mine. "Definitely. Go to sleep."

In a last ditch attempt to not be controlled, I stuck my tongue out. "When I'm good and ready." I said petulantly.

Paul chuckled again and shook his head. His smile looked so amazing on his face. "Goodnight, Swan."

"Goodnight, Paul." I whispered to his retreating form, sighing happily after he disappeared from my view.

I leaned against the banister and finished my bowl slowly before downing my coke and heading inside. The world was a little shaky and I was a little high but I felt amazing. I knew my wolf's name now and I put away a rapist. Maybe not my smartest day but I still climbed the stairs with a smile on my face, careful to sleep on my left side so I wouldn't hurt my cheek anymore than it was.


	14. Charlie's Support

Waking up with a swollen face was not the highlight of my morning. Knowing Charlie had coffee ready to go? Definitely a plus. I took a quick shower, careful around the tender spot at the back of my head and then called Angela.

"You sure you still wanna go, Bella?" She had heard the news obviously.

Nodding as I poured my second cup of coffee and swallowed a couple painkillers, I assured my friend. "I'm fine, just a little bumped up. We made plans. I'm stickin' with 'em. How about you?"

Giving a little chuckle, I could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke. "Definitely. I'll pick you up in an hour?"

Figuring that would give me plenty of time to get ready, I agreed and we got off the phone. Pulling on a soft black cardigan over a white lace tank top, I pulled a pair of light blue jeans over my hips and slipped my feet into my converse before balling my hair at the back of my head into a messy knot to hide where Malcolm had ripped out a chunk. Swallowing a couple more painkillers and slathering some lidocaine on my cheek to numb the pain, I grabbed my wallet and phone. When Angela showed up, I hopped in her Honda and she drove us to Port Angeles. We settled on a new romcom at the theater and quietly talked through the opening credits.

After the movie, we decided to hit up the bookstore where I'd found the Quileute legends months ago when I was trying to ascertain what Edward was. Purchasing a few books each, we left with smiles on our faces and ended up grabbing drive thru at McDonald's before making the hour long journey back to Forks. It was early evening by the time I got home, a nice day out with Angela had been just what I needed. She waved as she pulled out of the driveway and I walked into the house to the smells of Chinese takeout.

"Smells good!" I called out to my dad as I walked through the entryway to the kitchen.

Giving a gruff grunt for a greeting, he nodded and I sat down at the table, grabbing a container filled with veggie mei fun. We ate together, discussing my day and tiptoeing around everything that happened the night before.

"It's okay, Dad. Let me have it." I sighed after he side-eyed me for the fifth time.

Setting his fork down carefully, he slowly brought his eyes up to mine and I gasped at the pain that stared at me. "I can't believe you put yourself through that, Isabella."

Choking on my words, I floundered for a moment before he held up a hand. "You think I don't know that you did that on purpose? It's not a damn coincidence that you go and get yourself assaulted by the same piece of shit that Lauren had just put a report in about!" He slammed his hand down on the linoleum of the table and I jumped.

"What else was I supposed to do? Let him wait until some unsuspecting girl gets into his clutches? I almost _was_ that unsuspecting girl! I'd agreed to go out with him before Lauren told me!" Tears welled in my eyes as I confessed to the whole ordeal to my father.

His face melted from fury to pity as he regarded me. A glimmer of pride showed through but he squelched it easily. "It doesn't change the fact that it was stupid as all hell." He mumbled.

I looked down at my now empty Chinese container. "I know it was. I didn't know it would be so hard to have to go through that just to get some evidence. I didn't know how much it would _hurt_." My voice came out shaky and squeaky.

Charlie got up from the table, his chair squealing on the floor as he pushed it back and he stood, rounding the table and grabbing my arm to lift me from my own chair. He immediately embraced me and hugged me tight. I wrapped my arms around him, mumbling how sorry I was.

"Never do anything like that again. You brave, stubborn, stupid girl." His gruff words were spoken to my hair and my face was pressed to his flannel covered chest.

"I promise, Dad. I'm sorry." I whispered.

Rubbing his hands down my arms in a fatherly fashion, he smiled at me softly. "No more of that. What's done is done but I'm so, so glad you're okay. That Jake was there to help you."

I blushed and looked down. "All Jake did was toss me a branch and keep an eye out."

Barking a laugh, Charlie rubbed my shoulder. "You got a swing on you, that's for sure."

I smiled at my father as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. I'd seen the photos taken for evidence of Malcolm's head. I'd hit him so hard that his skin had split open and he'd needed seventeen staples. There was a tiny part of me that felt bad for inflicting that pain on him but the rest of me was proud. Proud for standing up for Lauren, for standing up for myself and for putting away a man who liked to abuse women. I might not stand a chance against the supernatural world, but I sure as hell stood a chance in the human one.

Opting out of a shower for the evening, I pulled on gray sweatpants and a stripped off my cardigan, leaving me in the white lace tank I'd worn all day. A message from Jake flashed across my phone.

 _La Push tomorrow?_

 _Absolutely_

 _Can't wait, loca. xoxo_

 _Night, Jake. xoxo_

As I crawled into bed, even though it was only 8pm, I was exhausted. I grabbed a book, in case I felt like reading but once my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light, thankful that I had one more day before I had to deal with school. At least there was only a few more weeks left before graduation.


	15. Make Me

"You're such a tool." Quil griped as Jake shoved him off the couch. He landed on the floor with a jarring thunk and Billy called out from the kitchen for us to calm the hell down.

"Sorry!" Jake yelled back even as he shoved Quil again when he attempted to stand up. "Sit the fuck down." He scowled at his friend.

We are playing monopoly and Quil keeps trying to steal Jake's money from the bank, leaning over him and kissing his cheek in order to distract him. They had me in stitches as they kept up their banter and playful slaps, holding onto my cheek because the smiling hurt too much. Embry settled down next to me on the opposite side of the coffee table we were playing on.

"Here ya go, Bells." He said, his voice quiet and sort of shy. He handed me a thin tube of lidocaine and I gratefully slathered it on my cheek.

"Thanks Embry." I said as the numbing liquid immediately started working. "These two boneheads don't give a shit."

Squawks of indignation flew from their mouths as they tried to refute my statement but the truth was, Embry was the one who saw me in pain and got me meds. Not them. I was fooling with them of course. My legs aren't broken -thank God- I could have gotten up and found it myself but Embry, being the sweet guy he was, saw me in pain and left without a word, searching through the discord that was the Black's medicine cabinet for the cream I needed.

The game was going strong hours later and I was losing by a mile. Quil and Jake had hotels stacked up across the board and Embry was just barely ahead of me, score-wise. I rolled my eyes as I leaned left then right. My ass cheeks were going numb from sitting on the floor so long. Billy had left a few moments ago to visit Sue and Charlie at Sue's house. She made dinner for the both of them and I inwardly wondered if she was wooing both of them. Maybe she was into polyamorous relationships. Who knew? Bleck. I didn't want to, that's for sure. Shaking my head from my thoughts, I stood shakily.

"You guys wanna go get high?" I asked, pulling my wallet from my hoodie pocket. I had enough rolled joints that I wouldn't have to share my own and that appealed to me greatly.

Discarding the game and leaving a mess on the coffee table and floor, we headed outside. "We don't have to smoke at the beach do we?" Quil whined, knowing it was my go-to.

Jake shook his head and waved for us to follow him. Entering the makeshift garage, he closed the door behind us. The back section was closed off from the rest of the structure as it housed a bunch of growing plants. It was built well enough so any fumes from the cars Jake worked on with his buddies didn't bother the plants and inside the grow room was well enough ventilated that the scent of skunk didn't enter the garage. If no one knew there was a grow room in the garage, there'd be no way to tell just by sight or scent. They'd have to enter the padlocked room. The left side of the garage was home to a wall long work bench littered with tools and car parts of all kinds, smeared with oil and oil rags, cluttered with bolts and nuts. On the right side was where Jake kept his builds parked, one at a time. This time he was working on an old Chevy Caprice for a friend's father. On the front wall stood a filthy, oil and dirt covered plaid sofa. Old milk crates in front of it acted as footstools. This was where Jake and I spent a lot of our time when my foot was in a boot. He would fix up his VW Rabbit and I would sip on warm root beer and read my stories between our deep and meaningful talks.

As the three of us settled into the couch, side by side by side, Jake entered the grow room and came out with his own stash box. This was a large combination lock case, black and silver, lined with velvet inside. He had a homemade locking wooden box inside it with his most prized pipes and rollers as well. Embry lunged for the 7pipe while Quil took the purple bowl. Jake opted for his blue marble bong and I got to working on the joints I'd already rolled before hand. I was secretly happy that I wouldn't have to share my stash. I'd been building up slowly since Billy told me I could help myself and though I wasn't exactly taking advantage, I was getting a good bit stored, especially since Jake was bringing me a baggy every time I saw him.

It wasn't long before the garage was hot boxed and our eyes were watering. Even with the window at the far corner of the small garage opened, it wasn't helping to keep down the smoke. I could only imagine what Charlie would say if he knew. Thankfully, Sue was keeping him preoccupied for the time being and I knew I wouldn't see hide nor hair of him for a few hours yet.

A knock at the garage door resounded and echoed. In our paranoid states, we all locked wide eyed gazes, jaws slacked. The knock resounded again. It sounded ominous.

"Use your damn werewolf senses!" I whispered harshly only to receive loud shushes from all three of them. I wiped their spittle off my face with a disgusted sneer. "Gross, guys." I griped as I stood.

Quil grabbed my arm and looked at me frantically. "Where are you going?"

Yanking my arm from his grip, I glared at him. "Someone's gotta answer the door, don't you think!" I sniped.

The useless werewolves huddled around the sitting area and I walked over, full of confidence that my father wasn't on the other side of the door. Glancing back at the three stooges, I smiled and opened the door widely. A billowing cloud of white smoke shoved out of the garage, covering the greeter in the delightful stench of weed. A tan hand waved the smoke away from a gorgeous face and I smiled widely when I saw Paul.

"Hey you." I said, all girly like.

A short chuckle left his lips as he leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Cute. You stink."

A noise of annoyance left my lips as he chuckled again. "I do not!" I said loudly then whispered, "Why does everyone keep saying that?" Paul laughed out loud and lifted me up and over his shoulder. "Hey!" I yelled. "Jake, help!"

Paul growled as I heard Jake yell from the safety of the garage while I was carried away. "No way, loca! You're on your own! See ya later!" The garage door slammed shut.

"Some best friend he is." I grumbled as I hung over my mate's shoulder. "Where are we going?" I asked, trying to look at him from my upside down position in front of him. I was very desperately trying to keep my eyes away from the very obvious bulge in his jeans but the way he was walking and the way I was bobbing over his shoulder, I was in a very good position to just be naughty. "I don't think you want me to do what I'm thinking about doing." I sang as I walked my fingers from his hip down his thigh and back up.

Snatching my hand and holding it out away from our bodies, Paul growled. "Behave yourself."

"You're giving me whiplash." I said with a giggle. I wasn't talking about the way he walked either. His moods were up and down. First he was kissing my cheek then he was hauling me off to God knows where.

"You're going to my house." He said gruffly.

I growled but being upside down and high to boot, it came out all garbly. "Oh so you're going to be one of those, are you?" I snapped.

Back on my feet once again, I swayed and threw my hand out, catching Paul's hand as it connected with mine to keep me from falling over. "Head rush, dude." I said as the warm, heavy feeling left my head while the blood drained back to the rest of my body. "Damn."

"What do you mean?" Paul snapped at me. "Another one of those?"

I looked around me and noticed we were at a small house in the middle of nowhere. The dark blue siding and light cream trim stood out among the damp green and brown of the Olympic Peninsula. The gravel driveway seemed to be home to a beat up motorcycle and a large pickup truck and led up to a brick walkway. Large stone steps stood in front of a bright yellow door that shone even without the sun to help it along. The lawn was meticulously manicured and though there are no flowers or shrubbery, I knew it would complete the look nicely if the owner decided to go that route.

"Where are we?" I asked, still looking around.

"Another one of who?" Paul growled over me, glaring at my face.

I put my hands on my hips and glared back at him. "Listen, buddy. Just because you're supposedly my mate, doesn't give you the right to demand that I do anything. You're not going to treat me like Edward treated me. Do you understand?"

Understanding dawned in his grey-blue eyes, softening his features before clouding over with concern. "Fuck." He mumbled before pacing in front of me, raking a hand through his hair. "Sorry. I'm sorry, Bella." He didn't look at me while he spoke, continuing to pace and using his hands to gesture his words along. "I'm so used to getting what I want and knowing what a woman wants from me. You're so different! You're not like all the other floozies out there. You're smart, fiery, stubborn, determined…"

"Geez, flattery will get you everywhere." I mumbled.

"I need to be around you, Bella." Paul stopped pacing and stared at me. "But I've never done this relationship thing. Help me?" His eyes were pleading and I knew he was being sincere. This man, whom I knew practically nothing about but could take a stab in the dark, wanted to get to know me and I really wanted to get to know him.

"You could ask me to jump from the highest cliff in La Push, Paul…" I stepped up to him and clasped his hand between two of my own. The contrast of cream and russet was so great that I almost gasped. It was beautiful. "and I would. I would do anything you asked of me and I don't know why. I feel you...in here." I pressed the hand I was holding to my chest, feeling the heat of his palm against my heart behind my breast. "There's pain when you're not around, longing. I don't understand it, I'm not sure I'll ever understand the supernatural world but I do know that you could ask me anything and I would do it." My words were earnest and honest as I gazed up into his eyes.

Paul opened his mouth to speak and I shook my head, my soft gaze hardening with a glare that caused his eyes to widen. I removed his hand from my chest and threw it away from me as if it burned me.

"But I swear to God if you try to demand anything of me again, I will cut your balls off. I'm not a fucking doll." I spat.

Instead of getting defensive and yelling at me like I expected, Paul's face lit up and he threw his head back with a barking laugh. I was awestruck watching his shoulders bounce up and down with his humor. I could do nothing but watch him as he laughed and laughed, even as he walked toward me and guided me up the stone steps and through the yellow door of the little blue house.

Words still heavy with amusement, Paul threw his arm out and said, "This is my house. Make yourself at home." As I walked over the shining plank floors, brightly colored area rugs scattered around, I looked in awe at the modern furniture in the living room and expensive chef's kitchen across the island that separated the two rooms. A single glass door led to a back porch off the kitchen stone tile and a small hallway led to more rooms to the right of the living room.

Sitting down on the plush black leather sofa in front of a stone hearth, I turned to Paul who was still looking at me with remnants of amusement in his eyes. "I don't want to demand anything of you, Bella." He said as he sat down next to me and leaned back against the arm of the sofa, the black tee he wore rode up, exposing a thin trail of hair that snuck down into his cargo shorts.

It was getting difficult to tear my eyes from the small expanse of skin he was showing and when I did finally pull my gaze to his, I blushed. The smirk on his face was absolutely sinful. A tingling sensation wound its way through my body, starting in the pit of my stomach and uncurling until the tips of my fingers and toes felt hot. I wiggled my toes inside my converse and then flexed my thin fingers, feeling strangely eager to touch the beautiful man in front of me. We are alone. It's so quiet in the house all I could hear was the whir of the refrigerator and my heavy breathing. As if he could read my mind, Paul reached to the side without looking and grabbed the remote control, turning on the television that sat on an elaborate entertainment center in the corner of the room. His eyes never left mine.

"You're important to me."

His deep, impassioned words resonated through my being, knocking me from my trance and I stared at him curiously. "What does that mean?" I questioned quietly, afraid to disturb the air.

Leaning forward, one knee bent into the cushion at the back of the sofa, Paul placed his elbows on his thighs and stared into my eyes intently, letting me know just how important these next words were going to be.

"You're what the Quileute wolves call an imprint. You're my soulmate. You're everything that holds me to this earth and I will love you for the rest of my life."

My breath caught in my throat. Despite the warmth those words spread through me, I wanted to refute them. He can't love me. He doesn't even know me!

Once again, as if he could pluck the thoughts straight from my brain, he smiled. "My wolf loves you right now. I don't know anything about you so me...the man...cannot love you yet but I am connected to you in some inexplicable way and I don't ever want to lose you, Bella. You're going to mean everything to me."

Something Jared said at their first official meeting struck my thoughts. "What did Jared mean about my being a shield? He said something about us being together?" It was as if he had already known that I was a shield.

Paul snorted and Bella smiled at the sound. "There's a legend. I can bore you with the details if you want." He sounded nonchalant but his eyes displayed his worry and I wasn't sure I wanted to know just yet about another legend. So far they were all true. The cold ones, the werewolves. Was I really prepared to deal with another hard truth? This one obviously pertained to me...to us.

"Maybe not yet." I suggested with a shrug of one shoulder. I licked my lips and Paul stood, walking into the kitchen to grab a can of soda from the fridge. Handing me a coke and opening one for himself, he sat back down in front of me only this time, he sat in the middle facing me so that his knee was touching my thigh. I blushed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." His voice was a deep purr and when he spoke, his minty breath fanned across my face. The cumin and fresh, earthy scent of him enveloped me and I felt my body relaxing of its own volition. I leaned back into the thick, comfortable cushions of his lovely couch with a contented smile on my face.

"So, I'm your...imprint?" I questioned, turning to look at him after I took a sip of my coke and placed the can on the coaster on the end stand beside the couch. There was no need for me to be careless and place the condensation collecting can on the deep shining cherry wood of his furniture. That would just be stupid.

Nodding at me, Paul looked a little uncomfortable and I knew that he knew what I would ask next.

"What does that mean, exactly?" Another thought flew through my head, of Jared looking sharply at Kim and her looking down to her lap like a scolded dog waiting for a lashing. "Are you like my master now?"

Paul's eyes hardened and he leaned away from me with a sneer on his lips. "I am not Jared." He spat, apparently knowing exactly where my mind went.

Widening my eyes, I wondered aloud. "Can you hear my fucking thoughts?"

His expression melted into one of amusement again and I felt the veritable whiplash. "No, but your face is so expressive. I knew exactly what you meant by that 'master' question. I watched you practically reem Jared a new asshole with your face alone when he whistled at Kim that night." Inhaling a deep, cleansing breath before taking a sip of his coke, Paul spoke calmly. "Each imprint is different. The wolf is what the imprint needs. A lover, a friend, a brother, a father. Whatever it is our soulmate needs from us is what we are. Jared's imprint is different. Kim is a free spirit who never had any direction and she speaks without thinking sometimes. Jared's wolf knows that and is teaching her the ways of the world -so to speak- and though it looks crazy to anyone on the outside, they are exactly what they need to each other."

"That makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever." I said with a raised eyebrow. "She needs him to whistle at her like a dog?"

Paul huffed and moved a little closer. I could feel his heat and it made my stomach flutter in anticipation, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. "I don't know exactly how it works or what she needs, I just know that what they have works for them. When I demand something of you, I'm not meaning to do it in a terrible, controlling way. I'm doing it because my wolf is pushing me to push you in the right direction. He's telling me that you need to be with me, that you need to see where I live, that you need me to check up on you." Shrugging his own bulky shoulder, Paul smiles wanly. "Sometimes the man in me doesn't understand that I don't take orders from the wolf. Just like you don't take orders from me. I'll try to ask more and demand less, but please forgive me if I just bark orders at you sometimes. I'm more or less doing what the wolf wants."

I felt renewed somehow, with his confession, all thoughts of being a single teenager for a while flew right out of my mind. I'm not exactly sure that I get the ins and outs of the wolf and imprint thing but I feel empowered. The wolf knows that I need him. The wolf knows what I want. I toe my sneakers off my feet, praying to God they don't stink, and get onto my knees on the sofa in front of Paul. The light in his eyes changes as he watches my moves with rapture and his hands spread open onto his knees as if he's clutching onto himself for dear life. I don't want that. I want him to clutch me for dear life.

"Paul." I said softly, staring directly into his eyes.

I watch his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallows hard, his eyes raking over my body as I kneel in front of him. I didn't feel very sexy with a puffy, bruised cheek and an oversized hoodie and while I couldn't very well do anything about my face right now, I could do something about my clothes. For some reason, the predatory look in his eyes gave me more confidence than I'd ever had in my life. With a blush covering my face and neck, leeching down onto my chest, I shakily unzipped my hoodie and carefully discarded it onto the floor by the couch. A loud inhale from me belied my nerves and Paul came to life from the frozen state he was in.

Large hot hands grasped my waist gently as he pulled my body onto his and he laid back at the same time, his head resting on the thick arm of the sofa. He held me tightly, his hands sliding sensually around my back and down my spine to cup my hips. My chest pressed against his and my nipples tightened at the completely erotic sensation. A small moan worked its way up my throat as I stared at his lips, his face moving closer to mine. When our lips touched, as cliche as it might sound, it was like the world came together in a tightly spun ball of twine only to be set aflame and explode outward. The result was catastrophically beautiful. My body thrummed with pleasure as his hot, wet tongue caressed mine, his hands tightening on my hips and pulling me into the juncture of his thighs so that I could feel how affected he was by this.

Breaking the kiss, Paul smoothed his wet lips across my jaw and down my throat as I threw my head back, my mouth falling open, a louder moan echoing through the house.

"Make that noise again." He demanded huskily.

"Make me." I breathed, bringing my head to the crook of his neck and nipping at the skin there lightly. He growled in response and his hands were suddenly everywhere, pushing my tank top up to touch as much of my skin as he could as he bucked his hips up into mine. My knees straddled his torso and I pushed against him, loving the sensations he was creating inside my body.

If he could keep touching me like this, pulling me into his body and setting my veins on fire, I would make whatever noise he wanted me to. When he nipped my throat in retaliation, I sucked in a breath and moaned again, causing Paul to growl in satisfaction.

"I love that noise." I whispered into his hot skin as I kissed whatever part of him I could. His neck, his jaw, cheeks, and the shell of his ear, leaving little licks in my wake. As I turned my head to find his lips, my sore cheek collided with his nose and I whimpered in pain.

Paul froze, his hands clutching at my ribs, his panting breath in my ear. I pulled back to look into his eyes and there was a yellow ring around them, proving to me that the wolf was close.


	16. Wolf

"What is it?" I asked, trying to get my breathing under control.

"You're in pain." He almost whined, his deep voice still thick with arousal. "My wolf. He needs to help you."

My brows furrowed and I looked at him in confusion as he sat up, taking me with him and adjusting me so I sat sideways on his lap. "What does he need to do?" I asked him as I stroked his cheek softly.

Closing his eyes, Paul leaned into my hand and sighed. "Do you trust me?"

"Paul."

"Bella, do you trust me? Do you trust my wolf?" He asked, opening his eyes. I could see the plea inside those beautiful grey-blue orbs. He needed me to trust him and even though I didn't know him very well, I knew that I could trust him inexplicably. This man, my imprint, would never hurt me. Never intentionally cause me pain. I didn't know how I knew these things, but I did. Right down to the very core of my entire being.

"With my life." I breathed, staring into his endless eyes.

Without another word, Paul placed me on the couch and walked around the coffee table to stand in front of the stone hearth. He pulled his shirt off over his head by the back collar. Though I'd seen him shirtless before, the sight left me breathless and he gave me a little smirk before popping the buttons on his jeans. My eyes widened and he chuckled at me as he dropped trou.

"The hell are you doing?" I whispered in awe before dropping my eyes to the table in front of me. I grabbed my coke and took a long pull, closing my eyes from the display in front of me, embarrassed. He was wearing underwear...if that's what you could call them. The maroon boxer briefs were plastered against his dark skin, encasing his slim hips and muscular thighs. Not to mention his enormous penis that had been practically in my face from halfway across the room. It stood proud in his underwear, pressed tightly against his lower abdomen.

Hearing a strange clicking noise, I opened one eye only to widen both with a loud gasp. In Paul's place was his beautiful silver wolf. His tail was curled tightly against his back leg to keep from swiping anything in the house, I assumed and his head stood over the coffee table in front of me as I looked up to his face. I made to stand but the wolf snorted and shook his head so I sat back on the couch, clutching my soda can.

Very slowly, the wolf maneuvered around the table between us and nimbly sat by the couch on the floor. It was amazing to me that he was able to move so easily and not demolish everything in his path. The meaning 'bull in a china shop' sprang to mind and I stifled a giggle though I know he saw the humor in my eyes for he cocked his head and his ear twitched. I waved a hand his way dismissively before looking back at him much the same way, tilting my head at him curiously.

Tentatively, the large silver wolf ducked his head and brought his muzzle close to my face. His hot breath fanned across my entire body and when I inhaled, I was mildly shocked to realize he didn't have dog breath.

Unfortunately, I voiced those words aloud without meaning to and he growled petulantly. I giggled and apologized. Big yellow eyes softened as he stared into mine, inching only his head forward ever so slowly until his nose connected with my sore cheek. I flinched at the coldness of his nose, an odd sensation when I knew the rest of him was hot as fuck -much like his human temperature.

"What…?" I managed weakly before a huge hot tongue lapped at my sore cheek. I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting some massive pain to explode behind my eyes and in my mouth but all I felt was a warm tingle.

My brows furrowed and my lips turned down in a frown but the tongue lapped at my cheek again, causing the warm sensation to grow more heated until it was almost uncomfortable. He asked me to trust him. I had to trust his wolf knew what he was doing, even if this was an extremely weird situation. A few more laps from the wolf and there was no more tingle, no more weird sensation, only a wet, slobbery, soft tongue dragging across my cheek. I felt my eyebrows crawl up my face toward my hairline as the wolf sat back and looked at me with an unfathomable expression on his canine face, his eyes looking intently at my cheek. After a moment, his mouth opened and his tongue lolled out from between his sharp teeth, making it look as if he was smiling at me.

My hand found its way to my damaged cheek and I tenderly pressed onto the skin of my face, gasping when there was no pain. Smoothing the pads of my fingers carefully over what I knew was damaged, I was shocked and stood abruptly, looking all around the room for a mirror. Seeing one in the hallway, I scurried on socked feet, sliding on the slick wood floor when I came to the middle of the hall.

"Oh my…" My words were cut off with my gasp and I poked at my cheek, completely amazed to see that it was no longer injured in the slightest. Not even a yellowing bruise. Spinning toward the living room, I came face to face with a very naked Paul, standing in the hallway in front of me. "Eep!" I squeezed my eyes closed as my arms flailed and I floundered with my words. "What happened!? What...what did you do? _How_ did you do that?"

Paul chuckled as he wrapped me up in his arms and now that his lower half was hidden from my immediate view, I looked up into his eyes, seeing the soft, happy expression on his face. His long, bulky arms came around my ribs and pulled me closer to him. My hands found their way to his biceps and I looked at him in awe. "Thank you." I said, softly. "I don't know what happened but it feels perfect."

Nuzzling his nose against my now completely healed cheek, he hummed and pressed a kiss there before pulling back just enough to look into my face. "He healed you. He told me to trust him, to have you trust him, and he healed you. I just was along for the ride." Paul murmured.

Placing a hand on each of his cheeks, I pulled him toward me, looking deeply into his eyes. "Wolf." I beckoned. It was amazing to me to watch the yellow ring appear around Paul's irises. I had no idea if that would work but it did and I grinned widely. "Thank you!" I said earnestly.

The wolf grumbled happily from Paul's chest and the yellow ring receded, leaving the beautiful grey-blue that I loved so much.

"That was so weird. You talking right to the wolf? I've never heard of an imprint doing that before." Paul said with a smile as he turned toward the living room, pulling me along with him. I squeaked and covered my eyes again, not wanting to see so much of a naked man until I was ready.

Chuckling, I felt Paul release me before hearing the swish of fabric slide up his legs. "You can look now, Swan. I'm dressed."

"Thank God for small mercies." I snarked playfully.

Paul growled and jumped over the coffee table to run after me. I squealed, laughing as I ran toward the kitchen, using the island as a barrier between us. I could feel how carefree I must have looked; eyes sparkling brightly, wide smile, head tilted back as he chased me around, growling at me and snapping his beautiful teeth my way with a grin on his own face. We rounded the island on opposite sides back and forth again and again as we teased each other. I hadn't felt so free in such a long time and it was all thanks to Paul.

Finally relenting, I stayed in one spot and let him wrap me up in his arms, giggling as he pressed his face into my neck. I curled around him, clinging to him tightly as he tickled me. By the time I caught my breath, we were sitting on the back porch watching the moon rise above the ocean crest.

"It's so beautiful out here. I didn't realize you were right on the ocean." I'd been entirely too unobservant since getting here because I could hear the waves and gulls clearly now when I hadn't been paying attention when we arrived.

Tucking me into his side while he pulled a couple of joints from my wallet that I didn't realize he'd swiped from my hoodie, he handed me one and lit his own. Surprisingly, even in only a tank top and jeans, I'm not chilled in the slightest, snuggled up to Paul's side like I am. I laid my head on his shoulder and took a long drag of my joint, wondering what time it was getting to be. I didn't think I'd been at Paul's too long.

It is peaceful out here. Though I could hear the ocean, the gulls, distant laughter from children playing loudly on the beach, and even some cars zooming down the main stretch of La Push, I realized I could see myself completely relaxed in this little house. Closing my eyes, a vision hits me from seemingly nowhere and I can see myself in the kitchen, hair a mess, covered in flour, wearing an apron while I'm scolding two dark haired, russet skinned children while holding a wooden spoon.

Gasping, I pull from Paul's arm and look at the joint like it's laced with acid before looking to my right incredulously. I see Paul with a wide eyed, almost crazed expression and wonder aloud, "Did you see that?" It's a rhetorical question, of course. There's no way he saw that.

Except he nods, still looking at me with crazy eyes, and my jaw falls slack. "Was that…?" He starts.

"Our future?" I finished for him and he nods.

"Do you think that was it?" He asks me, pulling me close to him and staring deeply into my eyes.

I lose myself for a moment, staring into those gorgeous orbs that seem to glow in the rising moonlight. "I think it was."

Sucking in a deep breath, I can feel his heart flutter as he contemplates his next question. "Did that look good to you?"

I can feel my own heart pounding against my ribcage, threatening to crack my sternum with the force of its bass. My mind's eye travels back to the short vision slash daydream and I can see the two little children with adorably puffy cheeks looking down at their tiny toes with contrite expressions as older me wiggles a spoon in their direction. My mouth is moving but there are no words that are heard and the children are nodding their heads slowly in response to -what I'm assuming- my lecture. Behind those two children is Paul. He looks identical to what he looks like now only he's in different clothes and his hair is a bit shaggier and he's smirking with his arms across his chest.

Focusing my eyes on the man beside me, I take a deep breath and answer him. "It looked amazing."

And it did.


	17. Billy's Babblings

By the time I get back to my truck that's parked at the Black's house, Charlie is already at home and I curse myself that I'd been out too late again. It's past 11 by the time I pull into my own driveway and I see the living room light flicker off and my dad's shadow as he stands in wait for me in the front entryway. I'm grimacing something fierce by the time I reach for the door handle and when it swings open, Charlie is standing there with disheveled hair and a smile on his face.

Definitely not what I was expecting.

"Hey kiddo! You're home!" Charlie's greeting is the most emotion I've seen him show me aside from the one time he got really angry with me.

I'd carefully avoiding looking him in the eye as I entered and shut the door behind me, quietly snicking the lock into place as I toe off my shoes. At his enthusiastic greeting, however, my eyes flick to his unintentionally and widen at what I'm seeing. His eyes are massively glassy and bloodshot.

Charlie's stoned as fuck.

Swallowing a giggle -because let's face it, so am I- my greeting to him is just as enthusiastic. "Hi Dad! Did you have a good time at Sue's tonight?"

"Wonderful, wonderful." He says loudly with a huge smile on his face, choking on a giggle himself as he tries to keep from outing himself of his predicament.

My face colors as I realize what his words could mean and I duck my head, moving around him to go upstairs. "Well, that's good." I said distractedly. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Hold on a minute, Bell...Bells. Bella." Charlie says with an odd seriousness that looks very forced and I bite my lip to hold back a giggle.

Turning at the foot of the stairs, I see my dad leaning against the wall into the living room, arms crossed over his chest and I give him my entire attention for reasons unknown until he speaks again.

"I know about the wolves."

I open my mouth but nothing except a strange wheeze leaves my lips so I close it again. Dad nods as if I just confirmed what he said but I'm just staring at him. His face breaks out into a wide smile and I cock my head at him like he's lost his mind. This makes him laugh and because I'm high, I start giggling. Soon we're both just standing there laughing at each other's laugh because it's just so funny.

"You in love with him?"

What the hell is he talking about?

"Dad...What?" My voice comes out a bit more squeaky than I would like.

Walking toward me, smoothing a hand down his face to keep it set in a serious expression though his eyes still dance with humor, he places a hand on my arm. "Are you in love with your wolf. Paul?"

My brain is still slow on the uptake because I swear to God he just asked me if I was in love with my wolf. When he steps closer and ducks down to look into my eyes, his heavy exhale is filled with the stench of THC and I wonder if he had a cookie or if he smoked with Billy. My dad, I can't imagine, would never smoke so if he ingested anything with marijuana in it, it had to be one of those cookies.

"Billy told me everything." Charlie says nonchalantly as he walks away into the kitchen, waving for me to follow behind him and I do because what the hell is going on right now? Grabbing a beer out of the fridge, he sits down at the table and I grab his can before he can open it, quickly swapping it out for a bottle of water because no. Bad idea.

"Trust me, you want this instead." When he looks at me funny, I just raise an eyebrow and say, "It's almost midnight and you've got work in the morning."

Nodding his head slowly as if I made all the sense in the world, he unscrews the cap from the water and takes a long pull, smacking his lips happily when the bottle touches the table. "So?" He asks, waiting expectantly.

Sighing heavily, completely exhausted, I flop down into the chair across from my father and lean my elbows on the table. My mouth is all dry and sticky and I really want my own water but I just sat down. My eyes land on my dad's water. It's just sitting there, condensating, mocking me.

"Bella!" My dad's hand thwacks down onto the tabletop and I jump. I hate when he does that to me.

"Jesus Dad, yes. Okay? Yes, I like Paul very much. Yes, he's a wolf." I say, a little too loudly before huffing and stealing his bottle of water, gulping as if my life depends on it but instead of easing the thirst and cottonmouth, all it does is make me extremely full feeling. My next words come out quietly. "Damn Billy and his blabbing tendencies." I look up at my dad and see his bloodshot eyes staring at me. He's not being judgemental, he's just looking mighty curious. "What else did he tell you?"

I'm curious now too because he couldn't have taken the liberty of telling my father about Edward and his family. I'm pretty sure he would not be looking all curious and a lot more furious with me.

"Just that the boys are wolves -gossiping old fool- and that you fell in love with one." He harrumphed after that and I laughed.

"No dad. I'm not in love with Paul yet. But it'll get there, I'm sure." I said with a wistful smile on my face, remembering the daydream we shared earlier.

"How do you know it'll get there?" He asked, finishing off the water bottle and tossing it into the trash can with near perfect aim.

"Impressive." I nodded at his skills and we shared a giggle. "Because I'm his imprint." At his questioning look, I add, "It's like a weird wolfy soulmate thing. I don't know him yet to love him but the imprint bonds us and eventually we'll get to that place."

Charlie hummed in thought, picking at a hangnail. "And you're sure this is the guy for you for the rest of your life?"

Oh boy. "Can we not get into the heavy tonight, Dad? It's pretty late." I asked as politely as I could. As much as it was neat talking to my dad all stoned up, I was exhausted and it would never be okay with me to talk to my dad about loving a man. It was just a topic that I was uncomfortable with for no real reason. Besides, as nice as it sounded to have your perfect match picked out for you by the Gods, no, I still didn't know what I wanted. I'm only 18 for Christ's sake.

As if he hadn't realized how late it was though I'd told him once already, Charlie stood quickly and nodded. "Yep! Off to bed with you, Bells. See you after work tomorrow."

I giggled quietly to myself as I grabbed another water from the fridge and headed upstairs to my own room. It was funny seeing my dad high and I made a mental note to ask Jake about it after school tomorrow. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when my head hit the pillow and I realized Charlie didn't reprimand me for being out late. He was actually _cool_ with it. Unfortunately, my high brain wants to know if it was just the weed he apparently consumed or if maybe he got laid. _Ew_! And as much as I wanted to shut that train of thought off, my head wouldn't shut up so I forced myself to think of Paul.

I forced my eyes to remember the way his shone happily at the moment just before our lips connected. The feel of those soft, pouty lips as they moved with mine. That was better. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep with a smile on my face.

That night, the nightmare returned.


	18. Cut My Heart Out

The alarm blared annoyingly in my ear and I blindly slapped at the clock, trying to find the snooze button. Instead, my sleepy fingers caught the cord and the clock fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Groaning, I rolled over while yanking the covers off of my head, feeling the static electricity forcing my hair to cling to my head and cheeks. My eyes feel puffy and my throat was dry and the damn clock was still blaring even though it was on the floor by the bedroom door now. A shiver of fear winds it's way down my spine when the nightmare I had last night -the one I am all too familiar with- hits my conciousness full force. Shaking my head and squeezing my eyes shut, I push the images out of my head.

 _Fuck._

After turning off and righting the alarm clock, I shuffled over to my dresser with a fear of looking in the mirror. No foregoing a shower this morning, I thought glumly to myself as I picked out my clothes for the day. A quick shower later -carefully avoiding the still tender spot at the back of my head- brought me downstairs to where Charlie had coffee waiting.

Bless him.

I made myself a cup and took a big gulp before running back upstairs to finish getting ready for school. Complete with my normal outfit of jeans, tee, converse, and hoodie with my hair in a ponytail, I finished my coffee and headed out to my truck. The weather was, go figure, nothing to speak of, consisting of the same overcast, sprinkling, bullshit there always was in Forks.

The weather definitely wasn't a pick-me-up around here, that's for sure.

As I passed Tyler's driveway, I saw him trudging down the sidewalk and pulled over, wondering if he wanted a ride. When he saw me pull over and wave, he jumped in the cab with a bright smile.

"You need a ride?" I asked as he buckled himself into the bench seat and he nodded. He looked pretty good in his baggy jeans and band tee under a leather jacket.

"Thanks so much, Bella. My car is back in the shop." He'd been having a lot of trouble with that thing. There was a short pause before he spoke again, almost unsurely. "How are you doing?"

I knew immediately to what he was referring and I blushed as I pulled the truck away from the curb at Tyler's house and headed toward the school. Bad news travels fast in a small town. I didn't really want to talk about this with anyone but only a handful of people know that I brought that whole situation on myself. If the kids at school got wind of that tidbit of information, there would be no coming back to Forks High again. As it was, there would be girls and boys alike that would accuse me of attracting him or dressing like a slut, provoking that side of the male psyche. Some people never learned that it wasn't the woman's fault if she got raped or abused. It doesn't matter what a woman says or how she dresses. A man hears no, it means no. It means do not fucking touch! Even though what I had done -agreed to go on a date with a rapist, knowing full well he could/would try to rape me just to get justice for Lauren and other girls that had been or would be affected by Malcolm- could technically be considered my fault.

Sighing heavily, I felt the blush creep up my face and flexed my fingers on the steering wheel, being sure to keep my eyes focused on the road ahead as I mumbled my response. "I'm fine."

I saw him look at me from the corner of my eye and his hand flexed as if he wanted to reach out and comfort me but thought better of it. "Are you sure? I wish I'd known. I would have kicked his ass all over town for even thinking…"

"Yeah, I'm fine Tyler. Thanks." My words were quick as I cut him off.

"Okay." He said at length before he paused and took a deep breath. "How's your cheek? It looks good." He leaned forward and I tilted my head toward him, keeping my eyes on the pavement so that he could see there was nothing wrong.

"It still hurts underneath the skin but it looks okay, thank God." I said. It didn't hurt at all actually but after only 3 days, someone would get suspicious if I said all was right as rain. How would I explain that a puffy, bruised cheek suddenly disappeared without pain? "I just used a lot of lidocaine and ice." Then smiling, I pointed to my cheek, though there was nothing there to see. "Makeup helps." Not even makeup.

Tyler nodded and leaned back in his seat, unbuckling as I parked in a space at school. "Well, I'm glad you're looking better. Thanks for the ride, I'll see you later." He hopped down from the truck and walked away.

Lauren met up with me as I headed in to school behind Tyler with a conspiratorial look that told me we would be having lunch somewhere other than the cafeteria today if I didn't want everyone to know what I'd done.

"Meet me at my truck, we'll go to the diner for lunch." I suggested as she walked with me to my locker. I knew she wanted to berate me for what I'd done but honestly, now that Malcolm was paying for his crimes, I just wanted to forget about it.

Nodding, she sidled up to Jessica and walked off to her first class. The day flew by and before I knew it, Lauren and I were seated in an uncomfortable, torn vinyl booth at the back corner of Fork's Diner. Cora, their one and only waitress, took our order and quickly placed our drinks in front of us. Sipping at my coke, I waited patiently for Lauren to start speaking.

Leaning forward and placing her elbows on the table between us, the blonde whispered harshly with a glare marring her pretty features. "What the hell were you thinking, Bella? No. Don't answer that. I know what you were thinking and as much as I love that you did that for me... _What the hell were you thinking_?"

I took a deep breath and set my drink down, keeping my eyes on hers. "I was _thinking_ that he didn't deserve to be walking free. I was thinking that piece of shit didn't need to remind you day in and day out about what he did to you. I was thinking, Lauren, that you deserve a fuck load better than to have to see his face." Lauren's face paled the more I spoke. I wasn't being mean, I was just trying to show her how serious I was about what I'd done. "I was thinking that no other girl deserves to go through what he put you through. And now they won't. Not by him." Sitting back in the booth as Cora brought our food, I thanked her and started eating, careful to avoid my friend's face as she contemplated what I said.

"I...I don't know what to say. Thank you seems so stupid considering what you put yourself through just for me. Calling you stupid sounds about right and don't get me wrong, it was stupid, but you don't deserve that because you were... _brave_ Bella."

I held up my free hand for her to stop. "I wasn't brave. But I don't want to discuss it anymore. He stole something from you that you can never get back. Now he's paying for it. That's all it was."

Swallowing roughly with tears in her eyes, Lauren whispered, "Thank you."

I looked down at my half eaten sandwich before looking back into her beautiful eyes. The guilt I'd been battling within myself about whether or not I'd done the right thing dissipated immediately with those words.

"You're welcome."

The rest of lunch went peacefully and I paid before driving us back to school to finish the day. As I was walking to my truck after the final bell, my phone vibrated in my back pocket.

 _Wanna come see me?_

I had to bite my lip to keep the squeal that tried to leap from my throat and my heart beat furiously in my chest at Paul's text. Climbing into the cab and keying the ignition, I quickly texted back.

 _Gotta run home and leave Dad a note then drop the beast off at Jake's. Be over after that?_

 _See you soon. xoxo_

I love it when Paul gave me kisses and hugs in text. It was adorable and reminded me that behind his harsh, hot head exterior was a beautiful, loving man underneath. I was a lucky girl to be able to witness that side of him. He made me feel safe and protected.

The drive home was quick and I dropped my book bag on my bed before leaving a note for Charlie in the kitchen, magneted to the fridge. I knew he'd head straight there after he took off his gun belt so he was definitely going to see that. I could picture him now as I stood smiling like an idiot at the fridge, lost in thought. He would come home, hang up his coat and gun belt, then yell out for me. His face would be confused as he trudged through the house to the kitchen, wondering if he should check on me upstairs to see if I'd fallen asleep.

Coming back to reality with a small shake to my head, I headed out the door. Blaring my music as I chug-a-lugged off to Jake's, I sang along with Maria Brink. When I pulled into the driveway, the speakers in my truck bumping louder than the rumble of my exhaust, Jake was already at the door with an eager smile. I laughed when he yanked me out and into his arms in a huge bear hug. Behind him I could see Quil and Embry, along with the man who belonged to Emily.

It was about time I learned his name, I suppose. Walking up to him after Jake set me down, I stuck my hand out. "Hello. I still don't know you."

He was tall with broad shoulders and more muscular than most of the guys in the pack. His dark brown eyes were almost black and his face was almost always set in a scowl unless he was looking directly at Emily. His lips quirked up slightly before he clasped my hand in his. I would never get over the heat of them, I didn't think.

"Sam Uley. Nice to officially meet you." Sam's voice is gruff and deep, full of authority.

"Are you the leader?" I asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Quil and Embry were wiping down a motorcycle by the garage and Jake was standing close to me, as if he felt he needed to protect me from this man I was talking to.

A sharp nod and a clipped, 'Alpha' was the response to my question before he turned to the others. "Be at my place in two hours. Pack dinner." He turned to me and his gaze softened slightly, though not by much. "We're welcoming you into the fold tonight, Bella."

He left me standing there, gaping at him. Welcome me into the fold? As if he could read my mind, Jake threw a bulky arm over my shoulder, causing me to make a noise that sounded a lot like 'oomph'. "You're an imprint now, loca. You're one of us."

I looked up into his light brown eyes. "One of you? Like...apart of the pack?" I asked.

"Yep, yep! You're stuck with me now." He chuckled, though there was a flicker of something in his eyes, gone too quick for me to decipher.

Quil jogged over and scooped me up, causing me to squeal. He held be bridal style and planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek while my arms flailed, trying to swat at his head. "And us too!"

"So gross! Lemme down!" I said, kicking my legs. All that did was make him hold me tighter so I wouldn't fall out of his arms.

When we finally got into the garage, Quil dumped me on the dirty sofa, causing lots of dust to fly up. I coughed, waving my hands around. "You doofus." I grinned at him through the cloud of dust.

"You love me." He said as he plopped his ass next to me and held a joint between his fingers. "Want some?"

I made grabby hands for it and smiled when he let me take it from him, placing it between my lips and then lighting it quickly. Inhaling the harsh smoke, I held it in as long as I could before exhaling, relaxing into the back of the couch. Kicking my legs up onto a crate in front of me, I heard Jake pull my truck up closer. He was going to be doing something to it. I wasn't sure what. It was making a clunking noise when it shifted and it was in need of an oil change. My dad wants me to get a new car but I don't really want to. I love my truck. Jake's put a lot of hard work into it and it was the safest thing for someone with my coordination to drive.

The feeling of the THC weaving its way through my body reminds me of last night. "Anyone know anything about the Chief of Police of Forks, Washington being blazed as fuck last night?"

Embry chokes on his exhale and starts coughing so I lean over and pat his back, well his shoulder since I'm on the couch and he's on the arm of it and he's about a foot taller than me. Quil starts giggling like a little school girl and Jake's russet face reddens. I hum as I watch his reaction, waiting for his explanation.

Picking at a fray on his cut-off shorts, Jake keeps his eyes on his fingers. "I may have saved a couple of the cookies you made and I may have been eating them when your dad was here and I may have let him have one." He sounded very unsure about this and very, very guilty. A few moments later he looked up at me from under his thick lashes and found me grinning.

"That was epic, dude. He was so fuckin' chiefed out it was unreal." I pulled a goofy face, mocking Charlie before giggling which had the boys laughing their asses off.

"Good thing he's the Chief so he doesn't get randomed!" Quil pointed out between his snorting laughs. The rest of us nodded.

Jake went over to check out my truck, popping the hood and propping it up.

Sucking down one more hit, I passed the joint to Embry and stood. "Sorry to run out on you guys but I'm headed to Paul's."

At the mention of my imprint, their eyes widened and I heard a muttered 'shit' from under the hood of my truck. Tilting my head, I asked what their problem was.

Quil looked uncomfortable as he fidgeted with his hands in his lap. Embry avoided looking at me as he took a slow drag from the small white joint. Jake's face was hidden inside my truck. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Someone wanna tell me what's going on?" I queried quietly, a waver in my voice as I wondered what I was going to find when I went to Paul's. It was only a short walk from Jake's if I took the same path to First Beach where my log sat. His house was almost directly behind that log a quarter mile away or so. My heart pounded as none of the boys would look at me. "Is it because I've got Quil slobber on my face?" I tried to joke but it fell flat. Not just because of the quiver in my throat, but the somber looks on their faces.

"Shit." Jake whispered as he came to stand in front of me, wiping his large hands on an oil rag. "Bells, there's something you need to know."

"This sounds serious." I tried to smile. No one smiled. He was seriously killing my buzz.

"He's got company."

I shrugged. "So? He invited me over." He knew I was coming, so he must not care that he's got someone over already. Right?

"I don't think that was him inviting you." Embry muttered, keeping his eyes on the floor at his feet. He handed off the joint to Quil before lifting his eyes to mine and taking a deep, steadying breath. "Leah shifted today."

My eyes lit up. I'd always liked Leah. "That's great news. Why do you guys look like she ran over your cat?"

"Because she's about to run over yours." Jake muttered quietly before grimacing as if he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

My brows furrowed and I bent over to reach for the joint from Quil, taking a long pull and holding my breath as long as I could, gesturing for someone to hurry the fuck up and tell me what was going on already. My nerves were shot and the weed was not helping to calm me. My heart raced and I could feel my body heat up in an embarrassed blush. I wasn't sure what I was embarrassed out but knowing Leah changed into a wolf and the more I thought about it, now I know she's at Paul's house. But I'm his imprint and he invited me over so there shouldn't be an issue, right?

"Fuckin' a, guys! Just tell me already!" I said exasperatedly on my exhale, throwing my hands in the air.

"Leah and Paul were a thing for a while before you came along. She's trying to convince him to destroy the imprint and we know he's thinking about it!" Quil blurted out loudly, eyes wide and scared looking.

I couldn't hear anything else they said as they all started talking at once. He wouldn't think about it, would he? And even if he _did_ think about it, he wouldn't actually _do_ it, right? The blood was pounding in my ears and I felt dizzy. I felt my ass hit something soft but my eyes wouldn't focus. It felt as if my chest was being mutilated. Like a sharp, hot knife was divesting my body of my heart slowly. My fingers moved to my chest and a ringing in my ears started to overwhelm me but I couldn't do anything. Liquid hit my fingers and I looked down, blinking as I did so and realized I was crying. Hot tears tracked down my face and the ringing in my ears grew louder before I realized the noise was coming from me.

Someone grabbed my hands and the noises stopped. Not a word or sound was heard. There was only deafness. Numbness. Blindness as I stared straight ahead unseeingly. Paul was going to choose Leah over his Spirits-destined soulmate...His imprint. Warm hands rubbed up and down my forearms, trying to soothe me, I suppose but I barely felt it. Another set of warm hands pressed against my fingers, letting me know that someone was holding my hands.

An odd swooshing sound, the race of my pulsing blood, pounded in my ears and my eyesight started to come back though it stayed fuzzy and black around the edges. My chest hurt so badly that I could swear there would be blood covering my shirt but when I looked down again, I saw nothing except for my white tee underneath my dark blue hoodie. I just stared at my lap.

The boys kept talking to me, I could tell by the strange murmurs that echoed around my subconscious but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I nodded for some reason. Perhaps an errant thought or in reaction to something someone said. Jake, maybe? I wasn't sure. My thoughts were slower than my reactions, like they were trudging through quicksand before coming to the forefront of my mind. Being high was not helping me in this situation.

I felt my legs pick me up, felt them moving, felt the hands that grasped my hands fall away. The cool air and light rain sprinkled against my skin as I left the garage in a daze. The tunnel vision kept me upright and from crashing into any objects that might be in my way and I walked.

And walked.

No one followed me that I know of but I was in a world full of supernatural beings. Maybe someone did follow me but if so, I didn't hear. All I could hear was my own pounding blood, the howling wind, the light tap-tap-tap of the rain on large oak leaves as I walked a trail. The ocean came into view moments later and I shed my hoodie, dropping it on the log that always sat at the right side of First Beach. The same log I liked to smoke at.

The same log I met Paul at.

Toeing my sneakers off, the pebbles of the beach felt cool under my feet. My chest throbbed again and my blood kept pulsing in my ears loudly, drowning out the roar of the ocean waves. Vaguely, I realize a storm is brewing but I pay it no mind. The wind whips my hair around, pulling my loosely tied band from the silky strands. I stop at the edge of the shore, feeling the icy water lap at my toes before devouring my ankles and soaking my jeans. I stand there, staring blankly out at the Pacific ocean for some time before I finally drop to my knees; a long, pained wail coming from my lips.

Hot arms envelop me from behind, hauling me up and away from my icy tomb. The tide had started coming in and had covered me to my chest, soaking my entire body. I was racked with shudders but had paid it no mind. Why would I? The man whom I thought would be mine forever was thinking about breaking the soulmate bond that connected us. I didn't fight the person who yanked me away from the sea, my feet dragging along the shore, allowing pebbles to bite at my heels before I was lifted and cradled to a hot chest.

My eyes slid shut and my head lolled into him. I didn't know if it was Jake or Quil or even Embry but at this point, it didn't matter because I felt just a little bit better, surrounded by the heat of this person. The heat that reminded me so much of the man I had been getting to know, the man I could have easily fallen in love with.

 **Oh my freaking God! You guys are utterly amazing! I went to bed last night -mid post because I was dragging ass- and woke up to so many reviews, favorites, follows! WOW! Thank you so much for reading and actually liking this story! If you find some grammar or spellcheck mistakes, please let me know! akinomatis recommends grammarly . com and I use a Docs program so if there's a mistake, please feel free to point it out.**

 **Again: THANK YOU, DUCKIES!**


	19. Break the Imprint

_Fingers shaped like claws scraped at the air in front of them and as if I were connected by strings, my feet pulled me toward them. Heart hammering against my ribcage, I closed my eyes and dug my heels into the thick long grass of the meadow but it only caused me to trip. Edward hissed in my direction while Alice's sweet, distorted voice floated over to me._ _"Get up!"_ _Shaking my head, my eyes popped open of their own volition, locking once more on Edward's black stare. He hissed again while Alice's voice deepened in her anger._ _"Get up!"_

"Get up."

"Leave her alone, Sam." A feminine voice whispered. The nightmare floated away but I could feel the beads of sweat along the back of my neck and at my temples. Mouth dry, body stiff, I groaned and turned my head away from the sounds of voices, trying to shake of the vestiges of my dream.

"Bella, get up." Sam's voice was hard, harsh.

I opened my eyes to see Sam's stoic face glaring at me. I shut my eyes again and sighed before lifting myself up. Looking around, I saw I was on a brown plaid couch, not unlike the old upholstered one my Gran used to have. I was in a living room of a small but homey house, the scent of blueberry muffins wafted under my nose and my stomach growled. With reddened cheeks and puffy eyes, I met Sam's gaze.

"Where am I?" My voice cracked from being dry and a glass of juice appeared in front of me. Taking the condensating glass, I glanced to my left to see Emily giving me a small smile. I almost smiled back until I saw the look of pity in her eyes. "Thank you." I said as I averted my eyes and took a sip. I must look a complete wreck. The cool liquid eased my parched throat quickly and I stood up.

"You're at our home." Sam said shortly.

I had forgotten that I'd been here before, having never sat in the living room. The smell of baked goods should have alerted me. And the fact that Sam Uley was standing in front of me.

"Where's Jake? I need to go home." I asked, bringing the empty glass to the kitchen, setting it in the sink.

"He's fixing your truck. There's no dinner." He said. Emily tisked him as she took her place at his side.

"Oh right." I said a little uncomfortably as I eased my way closer to the front door. "There's no celebration anymore." At least not for me. Why would there be when he was going to be with Leah now? I wasn't going to be considered pack anymore.

"Yes there is, Bella." Emily started but she stopped talking after a sharp look from Sam.

Trying to ignore the flaming pain in my heart, I placed my hand on the screen door handle. "Thank you for looking out for me." Looking down at myself, I realize I'm dry and changed. "And for saving me from hypothermia. I wasn't thinking, I guess. Sorry."

I darted out the door, ignoring Emily's call and ran down their driveway. The jog to Jacob's house was only a couple miles away and I stayed inside the treeline, out of sight of the road. I didn't want to be seen looking like a crazy person, running in a dress. It fit loosely and fluttered around my ankles and it was pretty. I'd have to remember to return it to Emily as soon as possible.

"Bella, stop."

I stumbled mid-run and swung around to see Sam behind me. His gaze was sharp and unforgiving.

Scrunching my face, I looked behind me briefly, wishing I could teleport to Jake's. "What, Sam?" I sighed, defeatedly.

"Don't let your emotions guide you when retrieving the answers you seek." He intoned before turning swiftly, darting back in the direction of his house and leaving me confused.

By the time I got to Jake's house, Charlie's cruiser was there but instead of going into the little red house, I hopped in my truck. It started with ease and I backed out of the garage quickly, ignoring Jake when he emerged from the front door of the house with a pained expression. I had too much on my mind between Paul and the nightmare. It had come back full force and I had to wonder why. The Cullens said that Edward and Alice wouldn't be a problem. Should I get in contact with Esme or Carlisle? Maybe Jasper or Rosalie? Emmett would make the perfect bodyguard. I dismissed all of those ideas. The wolves would be irate if I brought the 'leeches' back and I had enough issues right now. Driving home, I parked the car and went inside, stripping my clothes and jumping in the shower.

I did come to one conclusion, however. I am done with the supernatural. There's no way I'm going to break over this. Like Sam said, 'Don't let your emotions guide you.' I won't. The pain in my chest demanded to be known, acknowledged, but I refused.

"Suck it up, buttercup. There's worse things in life than getting dumped." I muttered to myself as I toweled off and slipped on a pair of sweats and a tank top.

I wasn't even dumped. Hell, we weren't even really going out. He told me that his wolf loves me already and that he would. But if Leah got him to break the imprint then there would be no love. That thought sent a wave of pain through my chest and another thought hit me square between the eyes.

There would be no pain for me.

Actually, in order to be rid of the supernatural for good, that wouldn't be a bad idea. I would never leave Jake behind, he's my best friend and Quil and Embry were quickly becoming close to me as well. But I could demand to be left out of their crazy world for good. Sam seemed to have a problem with me now that I wasn't going to be apart of the pack so that would be one less person I had to be around. The Cullens had left and taken any vampire problems with them and though I wasn't completely convinced that Edward and Alice would just leave me alone forever because of that nagging nightmare, that didn't matter. The wolves could protect me from the sidelines or I would die. Either way, I could be completely free.

With those thoughts in mind, I grabbed a book and got ready to go to sleep, assuming Charlie would eat at Billy's tonight. Jake texted me that he was sorry and he missed me. I shut my phone off and plugged it in. I would see him tomorrow after I talked to Paul. He didn't have to be stuck with me. If he couldn't break the imprint then I could 'need' a brother or a distant friend. He had to be whatever I wanted right? Well, I don't need anyone. I don't need his drama with his ex-girlfriend. He can have her.

"Fucking alarm clock!" I growled as it landed over by the bedroom door again with a loud thud. I should get one without a cord so I could stop getting tangled in it every damn morning. I hadn't dreamt of the demonic duo last night. It was a sweet relief, getting such a good night's sleep. Even the pain in my chest was dulled to almost nothing.

Powering on my phone, I went through my morning routine of coffee and dressing for school. Jake had texted again and wanted to know if I was alright. As I settled into the bench seat of my truck and plugged the AUX cord into my phone, I chose Otep Radio on Spotify and responded to Jake.

 _Sorry about last night. I'm alright. We gotta talk. Miss you too, bud._

I saw that I had a couple of texts from Paul's number but instead of reading them, I deleted them immediately. If I was going to get over him, I'd have to have a clean break. I don't want his excuses and I don't want to hear about how much he loves Leah. He had said that he 'the man' didn't love me but his wolf did. It's probably because he had already been in love with Leah Clearwater. Well, now she's part of the pack and he can be with her much easier than he can be with me.

Tyler found me at my locker between lunch and fifth period. His Seahawks jersey was loose around his lean frame and he was wearing a flat billed hat. I hate flat bill hats. They look completely ridiculous. Leaning against my locker, his ice blue eyes sparkled as he watched me switch the first half of the days books with the second half of the day. Instead of starting a conversation, since it didn't seem he was too keen on doing so, I glanced at him sideways to see the look on his face. He looked hopeful and yet guarded but the smile never left his lips. I wondered what he was up to for about point three seconds before dismissing the thought. I knew he had a crush on me but until I spoke to Paul about only needing his friendship, I wasn't going to even contemplate looking at another guy relationship-wise.

It doesn't work out well for me, apparently.

When I slammed my locker door shut and hiked my backpack onto my shoulder, Tyler slipped it into his own hand and put it on his shoulder instead. I gently rolled my eyes but smiled at him, letting him carry my books. Outside of Biology class, Tyler handed me my bag with a wide smile. He still hadn't said a word.

"Thank you." I said in a leading tone, hoping he would say something. He didn't seem interested, however. Simply nodding and waving before leaving for his own class a few doors down. I shook my head and went to class.

Skipping down the stairs of the school and stepping out into the parking lot, I felt my bag leave my shoulder again as Tyler fell into step beside me. His long legs kept pulling him further away but he would notice immediately and slow down. He still didn't speak. He'd been acting kinda weird ever since yesterday morning when I gave him a ride to school.

"Do you need a ride?" I asked as I unlocked my beast, thinking this was his way of asking without asking.

"Nope. Thank you though." His hat sat almost sideways on his head and I wanted to snatch it away and toss it in a puddle but guys were weird about their hats so I didn't touch it.

A large brown hand carefully moved my tiny white one out of the way of the truck's door handle and Tyler opened the door for me. His eyes sparkled with happiness when I smiled up at him.

"Chivalry is not dead." I chortled.

Cracking a wide smile, Tyler shut the door after I climbed in and I rolled the window down. He folded his arms on the door and leaned inside. "Have a good evening, Bella."

His sweet, minty breath fanned across my face and I found myself smiling like a goof at him.

"You, as well, Tyler." I had to shake myself out of my reverie as he pushed away from my vehicle and walked away, giving me a wave as he climbed into Mike Newton's car.

As adorable as he's being, I had my hands full at the moment with graduation approaching and dealing with this imprint bullshit. Hopefully his advances would stay as simple as today's. Charlie was home when I got there and we greeted each other blandly, both lost in our own thoughts as he walked into the living room with a Rainer and I trudged up the stairs to drop my book bag on my bed. Making sure my hard case wallet was in my hoodie pocket with my stash and my phone was in my jeans, I grabbed an apple from the basket on the table in the kitchen.

"I'm off to La Push, Dad. Want me to bring home pizza?" I asked on my way passed the living room before taking a big bite of the apple.

"No thanks, kiddo. I'll have it delivered in case you're late." His voice was gruff as if he was pissed off about something but I didn't want to get into it with him right now so I just said goodbye and headed to the reservation. Hopefully he would be asleep or feeling better when I got home.

 _Be there in a bit_. I texted Jake.

Deciding that I should go see Paul first and get this over with, saving Jake for second in case I needed a good best friend hug, I started the journey. The trees stood tall and foreboding on either side of the highway as I drove, music blaring to Halestorm's _Scream_. The clouds were thin today, no sign of rain in sight at least for the next couple of hours. My phone kept buzzing, letting me know that I was receiving texts and calls but I ignored it. I needed to stay my course before I wimped out.

My nerves were revving higher than my overused truck so without taking my eyes off the road, I felt around in my hoodie pocket for my wallet, snapping it open, and popping the end of one of my joints in my mouth before lighting it. It wasn't legal to smoke in a vehicle, just like it wasn't legal to drink and drive but you know what? Fuck it. I am not looking forward to dealing with Paul.

Maybe he's already decided to give Leah her wishes. Who knows if he even wants to see me. All I know is that the pain in my chest hasn't been eased since I saw him last and it was getting on my nerves. If being his friend wasn't feasible then we were going to have to figure out how to break the imprint. Leah would get what she wanted, Paul wouldn't be saddled with a woman he doesn't love for the rest of his life, and I wouldn't have to deal with this pain in my chest for the rest of mine.

Sighing heavily, I parked in Paul's driveway beside his pickup. The yellow front door was open and the pain in my chest was receding slightly, probably in conjunction with being so close to my mate. My veins were singing weightlessly as I finished my smoke and put the roach in the wallet. Jake could eat it later if he wanted. Leaving my phone and wallet in the truck, I pocketed my keys and headed up the brick walkway, knocking on the open door twice.

I felt like I was going to be sick, my stomach was knotted so tightly while I waited for the footsteps I heard walk through the house. I took a deep breath, ready to dive right into it when Paul came into view. The breath got stuck in my throat and all thoughts left my head.


	20. Accepted

"What the fuck happened to you!?" I screeched as I dove into Paul's house, reaching for him and wrapping him up in my arms. Caked blood stained his jaw and pectorals, his hair is a mess, he's covered in dirt and leaves. He stinks to high heaven. A long, pink jagged scar adorned his left side, thick and bulbus. My hands fluttered over him with my heart in my throat as I tried to figure out where to start. Tears tracked down his face and his eyes were filled with so much pain as he let me tug him into the house. I left him standing in the living room as I ran to the bathroom and started the shower, lying towels on the floor.

Paul didn't say a word as I ran back for him and tugged him toward the bathroom. He was only wearing a pair of cargo shorts, ripped and bloodied as well. I wasn't concerned with seeing him naked as I slipped my hand under the shower stream to check the temperature before I pulled his shorts down his muscular thighs. There was no protest, no sound at all, coming from him. Without taking my own clothes off, I only toed off my shoes and pulled him into the tub with me, moving him under the warm stream.

Red water rivulets ran over his body and swirled at the drain of the tub as I gently stroked the mess from his body. Leaves and dirt clogged the drain and I used my toes to pull the debris loose. Grabbing a bar of Zest, I washed Paul as carefully as I could but as the blood and dirt ran down his body, I saw that he was practically healed. There were no open wounds on him, only long, angry looking scars. My brows furrowed as I tried to figure out what the hell did this to him. _Who_ did this to him?

Too busy concentrating on cleaning the silent man in front of me, ignoring the way the sprinkle from the shower splashed me, making me look like a drowned rat, I startled when I felt Paul's large hands on my hips. My eyes flew to his and widened when I saw the agony written so plainly on his face. The bar of soap fell to the bottom of the tub unheeded as I cupped his face.

"Tell me." I demanded in a whisper, trying to show him how concerned I was. How could anyone do something like this to him?

Shaking his head, Paul lowered his eyes to his feet but kept his hands on my hips, his grip almost painful. It was as if he thought I was going to disappear.

"Hey." I soothed as I stroked his forearms up to his shoulders with gentle fingers. "It's okay."

A pitiful whine left his downturned lips and I pressed my nose to his chest as his arms wound around my body. I could tell that his thoughts were running rampant in his brain. Tears formed in my eyes and I squeezed them closed to stop them from falling but it was of no use. They fell regardless.

"Don't leave me." He whispered so lowly, his voice distorted with his pain, that I almost didn't hear him.

I let my soapy hands smooth down his jaw and neck to clutch at his shoulders, my clothes completely soaked through, and nodded my head. Paul sucked in a harsh breath and eased me away from him.

"I'll be whatever you want me to be, Paul." Now wasn't the time to talk about it but I couldn't tell him that I wouldn't leave him if he was with Leah. I didn't want to leave him right now but I would have to call her and let her know that she needed to be here for her man. The hot wave of pain that seared my chest from that thought made my knees go weak and Paul cried out, tightening his arms around my ribs.

"Stop that!" He cried. "Stop trying to leave me, Bella." I pulled back to look at him incredulously. "I can feel every time you decide to leave me, _every time_ you think about it. It is killing me." His voice, so covered in agony, had me fighting a sob that was ripping its way up my throat, threatening to bring bile with it.

I pressed my hand to my mouth as I registered what he said. He could feel what I was feeling? He could feel this pain. Was I the cause of these scars? It couldn't be destroying him physically, could it? Reaching around him and extracting myself from his hold, I turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping a towel around myself before securing one around Paul's waist. I did a pretty good job of not ogling his wet, naked form but I wasn't blind. I'm just doing my best not to drool and to focus on the matter at hand.

Silently, we stood there staring at each other in the baby blue bathroom of Paul's house. Both of us had tear tracks staining our cheeks, even after the shower, as they wouldn't stop flowing. The pain was a constant now while we were both lost in our own thoughts. Finally, after long minutes passed and I started shivering from being soaking wet in my clothes, I spoke.

My voice came out shaky. "I know you want to be with Leah." I choked on a sob and kept my eyes on the bottom hem of his towel where it hung around his shins. "I will be whatever you want. Your friend. Sister." The breath I took to try and steady myself was trembling. "Or we can break the imprint like she wants."

I screamed shortly and jumped in fright as Paul slammed his fist through the bathroom closet door to his right. He hadn't moved another muscle, just struck his heavy fist through the thick wood of the door. When my gaze traveled his arm to his face, I was shocked to see such fury burning a hole into mine.

Paul's voice was a deep, resonant growl. "I don't want to break the fucking imprint but I'm going to break those joker's asses for putting those thoughts in your head!" His words got louder and louder as he spoke until the last word was yelled in my face. His whole body was trembling and steam was pouring off of his skin, drying the water on him that I hadn't bothered wiping down.

I am so confused. "What are you talking about?"

Growling again in frustration, Paul stepped up close to me and pressed his forehead to mine. "I don't want Leah fucking Clearwater, Swan. I want you. I only want you! Jake and Quil saw my fucking thoughts when I was phased. They saw Leah yelling about imprinting and wanting me back. They heard me think that there was no way to break the imprint. What they didn't hear was that I didn't _want_ to break it. They all phased out before I could finish my thoughts.

"I couldn't go talk to them before they spoke to you because Leah came to the house. She tried to seduce me, Bella. I refused. I fucking refused because you're it for me. You! Not some jealous fucking bitch." The spittle flew from his lips in his anger and he waved his arms around as he stepped back to continue his tirade.

I knew my mouth was hanging open in shock. So many emotions were swirling around inside me. Shock, awe, wonder, hurt, love, happiness. I went to speak but he wasn't finished. Barely taking a breath, pacing in front of me like a madman, Paul kept growling.

"I had to phase to get away from her and when she phased, she saw for herself that I wanted nothing to do with her. She felt for herself how deeply this imprint runs. It's stronger than even Emily and Sam's, Bella. There's no getting rid of me. There's no breaking the imprint." Falling to his knees in front of me, the agony was back on his face. His strong, hot hands gripped mine and he pressed his lips to them before resting his head on my tummy. Tears fell down my face unchecked and my crying ripped from my chest as all of the emotions caught up with me.

I fell to my knees in front of him and he immediately clutched me to him. "What happened to you?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"Leah beat the shit out of me in our wolf forms. She was pissed off. I didn't fight back." The flaming anger that flew through my veins stiffened my muscles. "Easy, killer. She needed to get it out. I'm much better with you in my arms."

"Let me go." I said through clenched teeth. My body was practically vibrating with my anger. How dare Leah Clearwater? How dare she demand he breaks a soulmate bond and then attack him when he wouldn't?

"No, Bella." Paul hugged me tighter. My wet clothes clung to my chest, making a soft squishing noise when he pulled me into him. His hot arms were warming me quickly, drying me better than a damn hair dryer.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I licked my lips. "Why didn't you stop her?"

He sighed heavily. "Leah was never in love with me. She was in love with the idea of never being alone. When she shifted into a wolf and she learned about soulmates and imprinting, she came here first. She was hoping I would be hers. When that didn't happen, she broke. Something inside of her snapped. She wanted me to break it. To be with her instead of you. She…" He cut himself off and there was a long pause.

"You can tell me." My voice is still very quiet.

"She said you're a leech lover. That I deserve better than you." He sounded ashamed. Was he ashamed of me? His emotions didn't seem to match up with his words and I was thoroughly confused and agitated. If he's so ashamed of me, the _leech lover_ , then maybe Leah is the better person for him.

With my mind made up, I struggled to get out of his arms and he finally relented. My knees, sore from being on the tiled floor for so long, protested when I stood up shakily. "Look, I get it." I waited until he looked me in the eyes. "I only need a fri-"

" _No!_ Shut up, Bella!" Paul leapt up and covered my mouth with his hand. "You're not fucking listening." He growled angrily. "I don't want _Leah_. I told her to fuck off. She got pissed and took it out on me. I let her. I let her because I don't hit women, even supernatural women." He snapped before he snarled loudly and replaced his hand with his lips.

The kiss is so passionate, so fierce, that it drags a wanton moan from me in a second and my hands clutch to his biceps. Paul's tongue dives into my mouth, his hands pulling me into him and holding me tightly until suddenly, his mouth is gone from mine and he's glaring at me.

"You will not run away from me. I want you. I know you want me too." His nostrils flared and my cheeks flamed. I knew he could scent my arousal, even easier through the wet denim of my jeans. Fisting my drenched hair, careful to avoid the spot at the back of my head, he brings my nose to his and nuzzles me. "I don't care what thoughts Jake, Quil, and Embry put in your head. I don't want Leah and now, she doesn't want me. Understood?"

He waited until I got my bearings. I was still wobbly from that amazingly rough, sexy kiss and the emotions from learning everything I'd learned in the space of a day and a half. I nodded finally. Why fight it when I didn't really want to lose him in the first place? I would have given him what he wanted when I thought it was Leah, so why would I not give him what he wants, knowing for sure now that it's me?

The moment I nodded, Paul picked me up and brought me into his bedroom, setting me carefully on the dark blue carpeting beside his bed. He didn't bother flicking on a lamp when he entered. The only reason I could see at all was because the sun hadn't set and even though it was behind the clouds, the window let enough light so that I could see. His bed was a queen sized bed that sat on a thick oak frame and was dressed in hunter green sheets with a camo fleece throw haphazardly thrown on it. I could see six pillows, all with different colored cases on them. A shadeless deer antler lamp sat on his end stand by the bed with a matching picture frame that housed a photo of him and an older woman with his eyes.

There were no pictures on the paneled walls, no curtains on the lone window. It looked like a lonely room.

"Strip." He demanded gruffly as he went to his dresser that was pushed against the far wall of the room under the window. Pulling open a scuffed drawer, he rummaged through it while I pulled off my hoodie and then my jeans. I almost toppled over trying to pull the damn denim over my calves and heels.

I am thankful I left my wallet in the truck so it wouldn't get wet. He handed me a pair of sweatpants and a large tee shirt. Eyeing me, standing in his bedroom in only a pair of wet, white panties and a shirt and I saw his grey-blue eyes darken with lust before he turned and left the room, clicking the door shut behind him. Feeling a bit more confident now that I had privacy, I stripped out of the wet cotton tee and my undies, pulling on the soft, dry clothes Paul handed me. The black sweatpants hung low on my hips, even after I rolled them a couple of times and the thin tee shirt ended up knotted at my side so it didn't hang down to my knees. Idly, I wonder if he handed me this light blue, thin as fuck tee on purpose since he knew my bra was soaked, but push the thought aside.

Pulling my hair tie out of the mass of damn curls, I raked my fingers through the tresses as well as I could without a comb and then tied it back at the nape of my neck, leaving the strands to hang over my left shoulder. It wasn't dripping wet anymore, thanks to Paul's super body heat. When I picked up my wet clothes and bundled them in my arms, I headed out to find Paul. He was waiting for me in the hallway and he took the clothes without a word, walking them through the kitchen and over to a small storage room. Following him, not knowing what else to do and feeling a little awkward, I watched as he put the clothes into the washer and then turn to me.

"Come here." He said lowly, wrapping me up in a hug and pressing a kiss to my hair. "I suck at this whole relationship thing but I want you to know that I want us to work. I want to try."

Hugging him tightly around his ribs, I smiled into his chest, feeling a fuckload better than I had been. "I want that too. I kinda suck at the whole relationship thing too so we can try together…" I paused, trepidation leaking through my pores so thickly that I could almost taste it. "Do I need to worry about Leah or any other female?"

Paul chuckled and the sound warmed my insides. "No. No one compares to you. My wolf loves you." He bent low and nuzzled my throat with his nose. My heart sank at his words. His _wolf_ loves me. "And the man is falling too." He whispered to the skin of my neck, making the wings of a thousand birds lift my heart to soar high in the sky.

My heart thudded in my chest at his confession. "I think I am too. I think that's why it hurt so bad to even _think_ about letting you go. Hey, it doesn't hurt anymore." I said as I pulled away with my eyebrows raised, rubbing my chest where the aching pain had almost constantly since I'd met Paul.

Smiling widely, showing all of his teeth, my tall wolf grasped my hand and led me back out into the kitchen where my unobservant self didn't realize he'd started some hot cocoa for us. In large, cream colored mugs, sat steaming chocolatey goodness and when he handed me a mug, I greedily inhaled the sweet aroma.

"You know why it doesn't hurt anymore, babe?" The endearment that slipped off his tongue warmed me quicker than the cocoa did and I grinned at him with bright eyes, shaking my head. "You accepted me. You accepted me and my wolf." He said happily.

He was right. The whole time I'd been trying to convince myself that I didn't need him, didn't want him, and could let him go, my subconscious was fighting to keep us together. The _bond_ was fighting to keep us together. There was no more insecurities within me. It was as if accepting the imprint bond to Paul completely had dissolved any negative feelings. I felt completely secure in our relationship...However slowly or quickly we dove into it. I have every confidence that we will make the grade no matter how fast or slow we go.

The way he was looking at me right now over the rim of his mug as his pouty lips pulled in the hot liquid, made me want to go fast. Very, very fast.

Inwardly shaking my head at the naughty things my brain was coming up with, starting but not ending with dipping my finger in his cocoa and rubbing it down his torso, licking the trail; I smirked at him. I had to cover up what I could because even though he could tell and smell how ready I was for him, I wasn't exactly ready to become 'his' in that way just yet. I wouldn't let a man nor my body dictate when I was ready.

"Yes, I have."


	21. Black-Purple Smoke

We moved onto the back porch while we waited for my laundry to dry where Paul pulled me to snuggle into his side. We talked a little about how I wasn't ready to make the official leap into 'adulthood' by gifting him my virginity and he was extremely gracious and willing to wait. He wasn't a virgin by any stretch of the imagination but he had confided in me that he had wished he'd waited for me, as I had waited for him.

We shared a joint and dissolved into giggles together about the antics of the pack, lightening the mood between us even further. I almost told him about my recurring nightmare but opted not to in the end. It is probably just my subconcious telling me that I'm scared, nothing more. I convinced Paul not to go after Jake, Quil, or Embry about what they'd told me. It may have caused a crap load of issues for a day between us but they were only looking out for me. I'm their best friend. Paul did his best to convince me not to confront Leah about the crap she pulled. She went into it knowing Paul was spoken for, knowing that she would hurt me if she succeeded and cared not about the end result, so long as she got her way.

"And she called me a leech lover. That's wrong, first of all, in many ways. I never fucked him and I don't love him anymore. I didn't even really love him at all considering he was mesmerizing me with his stupid vampire powers." I bitched while Paul soothed a hand down my arm and pressed a kiss to my temple.

He agreed with me that what she did was terrible but that it was being handled within the pack. I didn't say it out loud, knowing he would only fret for my safety and try to stop me, but I was going to say something to her someday. She needed to know that what she did is not okay.

Once my clothes were dried, Paul walked me onto the front steps and proceeded to kiss the fuck out of my lips, leaving them puffy and tingling. Full on grabbing my hair and my hip at the same time and making it known that he wanted me. Just as I was settled in the truck and getting ready to pull away, Paul leaned into the open window, placed his lips at the shell of my ear and moaned.

"You might not be ready to fuck me but I'm ready to make you scream my name one way or another."

The images those words conjured up in my mind had me squirming and my lower lips were slick and pulsing the short ride to Jake's. I didn't stay long, eager to get home and 'take care of myself', but I explained to Jake the short side of things and that Paul and I were an officially imprinted couple. He was genuinely ecstatic for me and we shared a firm hug before I pulled away and headed back toward Forks.

It was pretty late when I got home and Charlie had fallen asleep in the recliner so I covered him up with the blanket off the back of the couch and pulled the empty Rainer can from his limp hand, kissing his head before heading upstairs.

Comfortable in my bed, happy that there was no dull pain resonating through my chest finally, I let my slim fingers glide down the front of my body. Over the thin fabric of my tank top and down below the waistband of my sweat shorts, I slipped inside my panties. My body clenched and my pussy throbbed as my fingertips gently manipulated the slick lower lips between my thighs. Short sighs and pants escaped my parted lips as I worked my body into a frenzy. Writhing softly under the comforter, I brought myself to orgasm, breathing Paul's name. I dropped to sleep almost instantly, content.

 _"Come here, Isabella. Come to me." Edward's distorted, deep voice called to me from across the clearing._

 _Looking left, then right, seeing the black night the trees had captured, I made the mistake of locking eyes with my ex-boyfriend. My feet moved forward on their own, with no concious command from my brain. I know Edward will keep me safe._

He _will_ keep me safe! Gasping as my eyes popped open, I threw the covers away from me and leapt from my bed. I knew exactly how to get to the boundary line now. It was as if there was a magical pull, yanking me, tethering me to the circular grassy area. Slipping on a pair of rubber soled slippers and snatching a hoodie off my desk chair, I bolted down the stairs as quietly as I could. Charlie, snoring in his bedroom with the door closed, didn't hear a thing as I slipped out the door. The bitter chill of the air nipped at my ears and nose but I pulled the hoodie tighter around me and trudged toward the woods. I could hear Edward's voice inside my head, calling to me. Pleading with me to hurry. He would let no harm come to me.

 _"Just a little farther, Bella. Then we can be together."_

My feet stumbled over tree roots and leaf litter as I trudged on through the forest. This is what I want, right? I want to be with him? A fog seemed to be hovering around in my mind and I shook my head but as it started to dissipate, Edward's voice joined the cacophony of thoughts.

 _"I love you so much. We will be together forever. You'll always be safe with me by your side."_ He reassured me.

Nodding to myself firmly, I continued following the fettered line into the woods, through the thicket, that lead me to the small clearing. I was out of breath by the time I reached the grassy circle and leaned one palm against the rough bark of a nearby tree. My eyes locked with Edward and I gasped again. He looked just like my nightmares. His eyes, pitch black; clothes, completely filthy. His normally perfectly coiffed hair was matted and sticking to his forehead. Alice, at his side, was equally filthy and crazed looking. Heart stuttering in my chest, I could feel the fog try to lift again as my brain fought against the love of my life. _No._ I told myself. _He will not hurt me._

I stepped forward.

A sinister smile formed on Edward's lips, showcasing his deadly, venom coated teeth and though a shiver swept down my spine that had nothing to do with the midnight chill, I continued walking forward. Fingers, formed into claws with dirty fingernails as sharp as razors beckoned me closer and against my better judgement, I went. A thick blurry white line formed in the middle of the clearing, proving to me that that is where I need to stop. The vampires cannot cross that line. A soft snort left my nose and I shook my head.

 _"Bella, look at me love."_ Edward's voice is still distorted, as if I'm dreaming. Alice, hissing at his side softly. I _know_ I shouldn't be moving forward but I cannot stop my slippered feet.

My left lifts, knowing the moment I step over this invisible line, my life is forfeit to the vampires on the other side. Sick grins adorn their faces as they dance slowly, gracefully, closer to me. Just as my foot is about to step over the line, a loud rumbling growl echoes throughout the clearing and my hands clamp over my ears as I step backward once. The growl resounds again.

I'm safe on my side of the line.

Edward and Alice's demonic eyes narrow and they hiss at me. Edward voices his ire quickly, trying to convince me. _"Hurry, love! We must go!"_ His claw shaped hand extends toward me just as I feel an immense heat at my back and I look up just as Edward breaks eye contact with me to look on in horror at what stands above me.

The moment my eyes land on the beautiful, towering silver wolf above my head, the fog dissipates as if it were never there and I'm left shivering. A gasp leaves my lips and I clench my eyes shut, rubbing my hands over my arms roughly. What the fuck! How did they get to me from my _bed_? Paul's large front leg comes around me just like in my dreams and holds me to him while I clutch at his paw and close my eyes. I can't speak because my throat seems to have tightened and I'm thankful or I would probably puke everywhere with the way my stomach is churning. A loud roaring growl leaves Edward's mouth across the field but I refuse to look. I can't hear anything after that and assume they left to regroup and try again another day but just as I open my eyes, I hear the galloping sounds of the rest of the wolfpack. Their feet slam against the dampened bracken and pass by Paul and I so quickly that I can feel the warm wind they leave in their wake.

Surrounding the demonic pair in a flash, I see the large black wolf has Edward's head in his jaws as the vampire's hands come up to grab at the wolf's face. Alice's head is trapped similarly between the russet wolf's maw and I am thankful. Thankful because in less than a split second, the demonic heads are rolling in the thick, dewy grass of the meadow that used to belong to Edward and me. Paul's leg doesn't leave my breasts, clinging to me, keeping me still but I have no desire to step over the line any longer. Whatever compulsion the vampires I once loved had over me is gone. The wolves make quick work of ripping apart the vampire's bodies and though I really want to stop them from setting them on fire, giving Carlisle and Esme a chance to say goodbye, I don't. I say nothing. Just watching as Jake shifts into his human form, careless of his nudity to which I avert my eyes, and builds a small pyre with the bodies of my old family. The vampire's mouths open and close as if in agony or trying to say one last thing but nothing comes out. I cannot rip my eyes from the scene of Jake swiping a Zippo and tossing it onto the torn vampires. The venom lights up immediately and a cloud of thick black-purple smoke rises. The wolves scrunch their noses in distaste and back away but keep their eyes on the fire, just as I do. Making sure each and every twitching, sizzling part is burned to ash.

The paw around me turns seamlessly into a soft, strong forearm and the moment I feel Paul's breath on the back of my neck, I'm jerked out of whatever reverie I was in and I spin around. Grasping at his ribs for dear life, I breathe deeply.

"Oh my God, what the fuck was all that?" I ask him, rhetorically.

Paul's large hand smooths down my back. "I don't know, babe, but it's over now."

I'm smiling like a loon into his naked chest but I don't care because he's right. It's over. I have to contact the Cullens and let them know what happened here tonight and maybe try to get some answers from them about how they could compulse me from my dreams. But otherwise, I'm breathing easier because it's over and I'm wrapped safely in my mate's arms.

"Yes it is. Thank fuck."


	22. You're Always a Factor

The next couple weeks were a blur of activity. The end of the year dance was held in the Forks High gymnasium but I opted out of going and spent the evening with the pack on First Beach instead. Though my heartbeat gave away my anxiety of a possible altercation with the she-wolf, there was no reason for it because she hadn't shown up. They turned it into a 'welcome to the pack' party for me and Paul and I had the best time, drinking and laughing with my friends and my imprint.

Getting ahold of the Cullens had been hard. Telling them their favorite pixie and first created son was now ash, was even harder. Esme sniffled needlessly and Carlisle moaned as if he were in pain but in the end they thanked me and promised to keep in touch. I felt bad for them, losing two family members that they'd adored so much, but I didn't hold onto those feelings because to me, my life is more important than theirs if they're trying to kill me.

Renee and Phil came up for graduation and we had a big family barbecue in the backyard. Paul came and Mom fawned over him like I expected while Phil ignored it like I expected and Charlie blushed and grimaced...like I expected. It was pretty awkward for everyone, needless to say, considering she was old enough to be his mother. Paul took it in stride, avoiding the more intimate touches my mother tried to place on him -like his lower back or front hip- dodging her successfully until I finally had enough and dragged him away from her. The brilliant smile he shot me along with the over exaggerated pout from Renee had me in stitches.

We hadn't decided officially to become a couple, we just were. Leah avoided everyone as much as she could, delving into her community college courses with Sam's permission. Sam, after the quick takedown of Edward and Alice, hadn't come out unscathed. His face had long claw marks from Edward's venom tipped fingernails down the right side. The scars were red and angry, pulling down the outside of his eye and lip. Each time he got near Emily, she would reach up and caress his skin softly before placing kisses along his scars. He wore them proudly. Battle scars, he called them, though the whole of La Push thought he'd been attacked by a bear. There were no other vampire sightings so patrols were let up on and everyone was feeling a lot more at ease. I was able to spend a lot of time with Emily and Kim and even little Claire, Quil's tiny imprint. Emily had started a bakery and Kim is her partner. I love to bake -and eat- so I was completely flattered when Emily told me I had a place at Wolf it Down, if I ever wanted it.

That was another thing that Paul and I had yet to discuss. We'd been tiptoeing around what I would be doing now that I graduated high school. I received a packet in the mail the day of the barbeque, stating that I had been granted enrollment at Alaska Pacific University as well as Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire. Though Renee and Charlie were ecstatic, I knew goddamn well I didn't apply to those schools so I ripped up the acceptance letters and tossed them in the trashcan, ignoring the looks my parents gave me. I knew that Alice and Edward had probably sent in my essay and applications to the two places they were most likely to transfer to in the United States, in preparation for me to go with them. It was cathartic to rip up those envelopes with an almost strange amount of glee and toss them into the trash. Almost as if it signified the last piece of them I ever had to deal with.

Today, I am sitting on Paul's super comfortable leather sofa with a tall glass of lemonade on the table beside me. A soft cashmere blanket is thrown over my naked legs and I'm completely focused on the television in front of me almost in a daze as I wait for my wolf to get off patrol. Though Sam had lightened them up considerably, what used to be 8 hour shifts turned into one full circle around the rez a day. The pack was confident that their heightened senses would alert them to danger before anything could happen, whether they patrolled or not. Sam had actually taken a liking to me after finally realizing that I wasn't the bringer of all cold ones. It had been his biggest fear, a cold one coming for me and attacking Emily. I understood his fears and was glad we were getting closer.

I'd been spending a large amount of time at Paul's since I graduated last week, leaving an item of clothing here and there or even a toothbrush in the bathroom. Between the hubbub of activity that kept us busy and my own insecurities, we hadn't gone 'all the way' but I knew that I was ready now. I had actually been ready the night of my graduation but my fucking period had shown up so I halted any progress on the intimate front before Paul could even look at me lasciviously.

Dad tried to give me a hard time just a few days ago about being with Paul so much but I kindly -not so kindly- reminded him that I'm an adult now and I'm no longer in high school.

"While you live under my roof…-" He started, his face getting redder by the second, I cut him off.

We were sitting at the kitchen table, just having finished dinner, when he brought up the subject. I stood, shoving my chair away from my body with the back of my knees and placed my palms on the table, staring my father straight in the eyes.

"Don't. Do not go there, Dad. I love you _so_ much and I am so thankful that you let me live with you for my last year of high school. You put up with me basically ignoring you for that guy I called a boyfriend for months." I said with a sneer on my face when I brought up Edward. "But I'm not in high school anymore. I'm 18, have been since school started and you've constantly treated me like I was 12. I grinned and beared it for the most part because you're my father and you deserve respect in the utmost form. Please, don't abuse that respect. Don't give me some foolish ultimatum."

The words I spoke hung thickly in the air. I didn't need to tell him what would happen if he gave me the ultimatum just like he didn't need to finish his threatening sentences about living in his house. I never did understand why parents thought they would win if they threw that out there. While I would always love and respect my father, I wouldn't stand for being made to choose, not by the man who was supposed to be my support system for my entire life.

With that thought in mind, since Charlie wasn't saying anything else at the moment, I sat down and took a sip of my root beer. "Support me. Be my daddy. I'm not naive enough to think you're not just looking out for me and I'm not dumb enough to tell you that I know what I'm doing. I don't." He reached across the table and grasped my hand that was wrapped around my soda can.

"I know you don't, kid. I'm just looking out for you. I don't mean to be overbearing but I know your mom was kinda loose with the rules." He paused when I scoffed but I waved a hand dismissively for him to continue. His words were an understatement. "I do support you. I guess I just miss you."

"Aw, Dad. Even if I moved in with Paul -" A choking sound left my dad's throat and I bit my lip to hold in my smile as I rounded the table to embrace his shoulders. "-I will never leave you. La Push is so close and with you spending time with Sue and Billy so much then we'll be able to be around each other as much as we are now."

He chuckled shortly as he awkwardly returned my hug from his sitting position. "You make it sound like a dream but I'm not dumb either, Bells. I know we won't see each other all that much. Thanks for trying to appease me though."

We hugged again when he stood up and he made me promise to continue cooking for him, whether I live in his house, Paul's house, or across the states.

Paul entering the house from the back door brought me to reality from my memories and I smiled at him as he ducked to kiss my head on his way to the shower. This was a routine for him. He only had to circle the rez once but he claimed his wolf wasn't satisfied unless he circled it a few times and rubbed his scent along some trees near the Forks boundary. I think it's overkill but to each his own. Watching him head straight for the shower like he always did, I got up and folded the blanket, placing it on the back of the sofa.

The weather was unseasonably warm, even for mid-June, so even in my cropped light blue shorts and lace tank top, sweat was forming on my chest and back. Don't ask me why I even bothered with a blanket at all. Habit, I suppose. Making Paul something light for supper, I felt his presence before I heard him because he's almost impossible to hear coming unless he wants you to. He wrapped me up in his arms from behind and placed open mouth kisses along my shoulder and neck.

"Are we going to talk about college yet, babe?" His hot, liquid caramel voice drizzled over my skin, lighting my nerves on fire and I pressed my body back into him.

"Sure. Here." I said as I handed him his sub sandwich and a bag of chips and I joined him at the island on a tall stool. I was dreading this. Paul stressed how he wanted me to make something of myself, go to school because he couldn't. He is tied to the rez for the foreseeable future and even if he can stop phasing in the years to come, he would be too old or have too much responsibility doing something else to go to college and focus.

I fidgeted with my lemonade glass that I'd brought with me into the kitchen as a light breeze swept through the house. I had the front door open and the back door open so it created a nice path for the wind to cut straight through the kitchen, giving the staling air some place to go.

Finishing his sandwich in no time, he crunched on a chip and raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"I'm not going to college." I blurted, keeping my eyes on my twiddling fingers.

"What?" The question was low, uncertain, but I kept my eyes down. He stopped eating and placed the bag of chips onto the countertop.

Suddenly, the words poured out of me as I looked up to him, pleadingly. "Please don't be mad! I want to work with Emily and Kim here on the rez. I thought I wanted to be a teacher and go to college and learn so much more but I love baking even more than I love teaching. I don't want to sit in a stuffy college so far away from the people I love only to realize that teaching was never what I wanted to do in the first place. If I'm having regrets and worries now then I know I won't want to finish what I started but I'll feel obligated to. Emily already told me I can work with her and Kim whenever I want but I haven't given them my answer yet because…"

Paul's loud, happy giggle cut me off and I stared at him. I loosened my fingers from my cup because my knuckles hurt from clenching them around the cool glass so tightly.

"What's so funny?"

"You're not leaving me!" Standing abruptly, Paul swept me up in his arms and swung me around. I wrapped my arms and legs around him like a koala and hung on, giggling into his neck as he laughed.

When he finally set me down on my feet, I took residence up on the stool again and waited for him to do the same. Popping a chip in his mouth, he smiled brightly at me.

"You wanted me to go." I stated, still feeling euphoric from his reaction. I'd thought for sure he would be angry with me.

"I wanted to support you." He countered, licking his lips of the extra salt that had gathered there. I wanted to do that for him. One side of his face tilted up into a crooked smirk as he watched my eyes watch his lips. "You can do whatever you want, Bella. I didn't want you to stay for me. If you were going to stay, even if you take online college courses, I wanted you to make the decision for you."

I nodded. "I have. I mean, you're always a factor. We're us and we're bonded and I lo-like you so much. So you're always a factor. This is something I really want to do though."

Paul's eyes were lit up mischievously. I knew he heard my slip. As much as we'd been tiptoeing around the college talk and the sex, we'd been slinking even further away from declaring our love. We both knew how we felt and even though we'd outright said we were _falling_ , we hadn't made the actual leap yet. We could feel it through the bond, doubling our feelings for each other. There just hadn't been a moment to tell each other yet. I'm not exactly sure what we're waiting for but we are obviously waiting for something.

"Then work with Emily and Kim. Stay in La Push forever with me." He paused, standing in front of me, pulling me off the stool and entwined his fingers with mine. "Move in with me?" His words were whispered and full of hope.

My breath caught and I didn't waste one second. "Yes, I'll move in Paul." My grin nearly cracked my face as I pushed up the balls of my feet and pressed my lips to his.

A moan left his mouth immediately as it connected with mine and our hands were everywhere. "Let's go to the bedroom?" Paul breathed the question and I nodded.

There's a small window air conditioner above the dresser, keeping the room a lot cooler than the balmy 80 it seemed to stay throughout the rest of the house the last week or so. I welcomed the cool air the moment it hit my sweat slicked skin, Paul's hand in mine as he towed me along behind him. Shutting us into the room, he turned to me with an aroused glint in his eyes and I stared at him a moment, my chest heaving with anticipation. Slowly stalking forward, Paul placed his hands on my hips, his thumbs tracing along the small strip of skin that's exposed between my shorts and top.

The feeling had goosebumps erupting all over me and had nothing to do with the chill of the a/c. Arching my chest into his, I pushed up, pressing my lips into his even harder, more demandingly. The sound he made in the back of his throat, the way he pulled my hips into his, had my panties drenched. Sensing that I needed some friction, any kind of friction, Paul's knee slipped between my thighs and pressed against my hot core.

"Oh God." I whispered to his lips.

Humming, I felt him smile and push his thigh into me harder as I started to buck against him gently. The feelings of euphoria that coiled tightly in my belly sang through my veins with the movement. He pulled back and looked deeply into my eyes, staring straight at my soul, just as he had the first time I met him. I read the question easily and nodded, stepping out of his embrace. My fingers grasped the hem of my tank top and pulled it over my head, leaving me topless. The chilled air puckered my nipples as I bent over to pull my shorts down my legs. When I looked back up, Paul was completely naked.

Giggling, I raised an eyebrow. "Eager much?"

He nodded his head and scooped me up, lying us on his large bed, mussing up the sheets as well as my hair as we scooted up onto the pillows. This isn't the first time we'd been completely naked with each other. Just a week before Paul had invited me to take a shower with him. Though I had been extremely timid and shy, the warm water combined with his hot, caring hands washed away any of my insecurities. The way his intense gaze traveled over me left me with no doubts as to how much this man thought I was attractive. He made me _feel_ attractive.

"You're all set?" He murmured as he kissed a trail down my left arm where he lay beside me. His hand clutched at my abdomen, keeping me in place as if I wanted to leave his side.

I knew what he was referring to, of course. When I knew I was bound to get intimate with my wolf, I had gone to see Dr. Gerandy and re upped my birth control. I'd been on it since I started my period, per my mother's orders, but had let it lapse when I moved to Forks. Adjusting to the foreign medication had been a little tricky, as it caused me to gain a few pounds and made my breasts tender as fuck but it had been a good month and everything was peachy keen. Apparently, Paul loved the extra pounds I put on, which had settled themselves happily at my hips and ass. I'd been pretty glum about that, wishing they'd split apart and some had dove to my breastage. Not in the cards, it seemed.

Walking my fingers up his arm and cupping his face as I turned toward him slightly, I nodded. "Of course. Do you still want to use a condom to be sure?" I offered.

Scoffing as if I'd offended him, he grinned. "Not really."

Without sparing another moment, he connected our lips again and pressed his body into mine, pushing me down into the soft mattress.


	23. Surprise

Our first time together was magical. The second and third were even moreso as I didn't have the pain of losing my virginity. Paul worshipped me in ways I had never imagined. The kaleidoscope of colors that burst forth from behind my eyelids each time I came, screaming his name hoarsely, was brilliant. I loved the way his strong fingers gently stroked the dark curls between my thighs as if it were the softest hair he'd ever felt. The way his hot, heavy erection would lie against the juncture of my thighs. He caressed my whole body with care, leaving no doubt in my mind that he wanted to be with me.

I was all moved into Paul's house within a week and Charlie, though he was upset at losing his only daughter to another man, was appeased with how full his freezer was with casseroles and premade meals. I even left strict cooking instructions for him along with explicit recipes for him to attempt himself. Sue made herself a near permanent fixture inside the Swan abode more often than not in the last few months so I wasn't too worried about my father's possible starvation.

Emily and Kim welcomed me with open arms into Wolf it Down and we came up with a whole new line of pies for the pastry shelf after I made a couple for some bonfires that had been a huge hit. It was busy work and I was always exhausted with sore feet after a long shift, but it was well worth it. Paul benefited from the overages and made sure to thank me thoroughly each time I brought him some goodies home. Living with him was like a dream. All blissful smiles and erotic nights. We would relax, cuddled on the couch after our respective long days at work just touching each other softly.

Tonight we are celebrating my 19th birthday. It was still a week away but the pack had wanted to surprise me. Emily sent me home from work earlier than usual and while I found that slightly suspicious, all thoughts left my brain when Paul awaited me with a large white smile and his strong arms. We made love passionately for hours before he suddenly told me to shower. Patting my naked ass as I looked at him confused, he just chuckled and started getting dressed.

When Paul brought me to First Beach, I'd been unsurprised to see yet another bonfire. It seemed to be a sort of weekly tradition in La Push since there really wasn't much else by way of recreational activities around here. What did surprise me, however, was that I'd not been asked to participate in the meal prep or decorating.

"Whose party is this?" Had I just overlooked someone's birthday? Jesus, that makes me such a tool.

Chuckling as if he'd heard my inner thoughts -cue full body shudder- Paul let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders. "Yours, doofus."

Shooting him a mild scowl for the unnecessary name calling, I deadpanned. "What."

Everyone in the pack knew that I hated surprises.

As if on signal, the entirety of the wolf pack screamed out, "Happy Birthday, Bella!" An odd 'Bells' was thrown out from Jake's mouth and I giggled, deciding to go with the flow. I have no reason to dread my birthday anymore, for my forever was right by my side.

"Hey Bella." A voice I hadn't heard in months sounded from my right and I turned slowly to see Leah Clearwater looking at me quite timidly. Her hair was longer than I remember, having caught a glimpse of her once after she phased into a wolf. She had had it shorn to just under her ears, revealing her slender neck. The guys had mentioned that short hair in human form was easier to deal with in wolf form. Wearing a pink and purple plaid button tee paired with light colored jeans and brown sandals on her feet, I'd never in my life seen Leah so girlie. She'd been the definition of a tomboy our whole lives.

The party was in full swing as everyone passed around beer and joints, my dad and Billy turning a blind eye. Even Sam's face was graced with a half smile.

Turning my back on her, filling my plate full of the barbeque buffet, I said a quiet, "Hey Leah." Though my nerves were up, today is my day and I'm not going to let her get the best of me.

Soft fingertips pressed into the white cotton of my tee shirt at my shoulder and I paused to take in a fortifying breath before I set my plate down on the long table and turned, once again, to face her. Raising my eyebrows questioningly, I waited for her to speak her mind.

Shuffling awkwardly, which was another strange thing to see from the rough-and-tumble she-wolf, she glanced at her toes. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but I want to apologize for the crap that went down -"

I held up a hand to stop her apology. "It's not me you need to apologize to, Leah. It's Paul. The only thing I want to say to you is that was low. Even for you. Every time I see that scar on his side I am filled to the brim with a hate so strong it overwhelms me. Now that I'm saying this to your face, I hope that at least one of us feels retribution. Never, and I mean never, touch Paul again. You may have changed. I've got eyes." I said as I waved my hand toward her in a gesturing motion, aware that the pack was trying not to be obvious about listening. I kept my voice calm and even as much as I could. "But that doesn't take away from the fact that you mauled an innocent man simply for having a _soulmate_. Because you were _jealous_."

Tears brimmed on her lower lids as she kept eye contact with me, fine tremors of the shift working their way down her toned arms. I knew I was being rough on her but she needed to hear it from me. She needs to know that I was never okay with what she pulled.

"You tried to tear Paul and me apart before we could even get started. I might be able to forgive you someday, Leah Clearwater, but right now is not that day."

Settling back into a large Adirondack chair overlooking the blue-gray waves of the Pacific Ocean, minus my food because I'd lost my appetite, I closed my eyes and reclined back. My heart pounded in my chest as I meticulously went over everything I just said to her. Was I too tough on her? Did I hurt her feelings? Should I apologize? Or was it the opposite...Did everything I say make no headway at all? Did she deserve worse than my spiteful words? A cold soda can was pressed into the top of my hand and without opening my eyes, I twisted my wrist to capture the sugary liquid.

"Thanks." I murmured.

"You don't need to overthink this, Bella." Jake said as he settled into the chair beside me. I glanced over at him before I turned my head enough to see Paul and Leah speaking as Sam and Jared stood nearby. Choosing to shove the jealousy aside, I turned back to Jake and settled more comfortably in the stiff chair.

"I'm not." I defended myself. Jake smiled crookedly at me and I sighed. "Okay, fine. I just don't want to be too -"

"You weren't." Jake captured my hand in his and held tight. "She deserved an ass beating but you're no wolf so the verbal assault worked just fine. You did good."

Catching my peek toward my imprint and Leah again, Jake chuckled. "She's apologizing and he's telling her where to stuff it. Don't worry so much."

Downing the rest of my cola, I stood and stretched, causing my denim shorts and white tee to split and show my torso. It had the exact effect I was going for. Paul strode to me quickly from by the fire to my side and wrapped me in his arms, searing a kiss into my lips.

"That's my cue." Jake laughed as he walked off, presumably to find his buddies.

"I love you." Paul whispered as he kissed his way up to my ear, his large hot hands cupping my hips before pressing into my flesh and dragging up to my waist to grip me tightly.

Humming contently and more than a little aroused, I said quietly, "I love you too. Wanna get high?"

Paul laughed as he grabbed my hand in his and walked us back to the fire.


	24. Epilogue

The sun is setting beneath the surface of the ocean off to my left, the dim yet colorful rays shining on the surface of the counter through the open back door through the trees. Wind rustles through the house gently, giving my brow and the back of my neck a much needed refresher. Elbow deep in a large mixing bowl of homemade cake mix, the counter completely covered in baking utensils and ingredients, I hear one happy giggle before a slightly deeper growl. Wiping the back of my hand across my forehead, I roll my eyes.

Every. Damn. Day.

"Cole! Paulie! Get your little butts in here!" I yelled in what Paul has deemed my 'Mom' voice.

Bare little feet, covered in mud and leaves come barreling into the kitchen from the back door. Cole is grinning, all wide, white smiles while Paulie scowls at his little brother. Both of their heads are a disarray of black hair, sticking up at odd angles from their playing outdoors and their clothes are filthy. I can even spy the smudges of dirt on their light russet skin. Bathtime is going to be fun...

Lifting my wooden spoon from the cake mix, I shake it at them and look as mean as I can in the face of such adorability. "Have I not told you enough times yet that you cannot put bugs on your brother, Cole?"

My youngest drops his cocoa colored eyes down to his tiny toes, which are wiggling against the cool floor, and nods his head. I know I confused him.

"I haven't told you enough? Well, let me tell you again, then!" I say, raising my voice just slightly, still shaking the wooden spoon in his direction.

"No, Mama!" His tiny voice says quickly as his eyes collide with mine again. "You have tolded me enough. I just forgetted!" He assured me with a serious face.

I'm trying very hard not to crack a smile so I bite the inside of my cheek until I notice Paulie grinning smugly down on his four year old brother. Turning my 'wrath' onto him, I ignore Paul who has emerged from the shower and is standing silently behind the boys from the living room. I have to ignore him or I'll forget my scolding tirade and concentrate on how amazingly yummy he looks. The kids won't be reprimanded, the cake won't get baked, and I'll fall into bed annoyed later after an amazing yet intense round of love making with my completely handsome husband.

"And you!" I say, pointing my spoon in my nine year old's direction. "How many times do I have to tell you not to shove your brother?"

Paulie's grey eyes widen comically at my accusation. "How did you know!?"

Honestly, I hadn't. I'd only pulled that one out of my ass, assuming he had done something to earn getting a bug thrown at him. My eldest boy is deathly afraid of bugs of any size and ever since Cole figured that out, he's exploited that to his advantage thanks to Uncle Quil's superb advice.

Instead of admitting that, though, I say, "You think I don't know what provokes your brother yet? What do you take me for?" I demand. "You two better start behaving yourselves," I pause as I watch them stare contritely at their little feet before I finish my sentence. "or I'm sending you to Aunt Leah's." Leah and I had made amends years ago and have become very best friends. She's formidable on the kid front. She doesn't let them run her over and she's not afraid to growl them in their place. As much as all the kids love her, they're all deathly afraid of her.

At that, they both gasp and their heads whip up to look at me. They both start loudly apologizing at once, promising to be on their best behavior and I look over their heads to see Paul. He's standing in the living room still, arms crossed over his chest, smirking at me. I know what he's thinking because the moment he crossed his arms halfway through my spoon-shaking speech, I realized it too.

Our daydream 11 years ago.

Giving him an award winning smile, I wink at him.

 **And there we are, folks! I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review. Thank you again for all the support!**


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